


-Buried Truths-

by ChubbyBudgie



Series: Mystery Collection [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Dis my first story on here, Edgy back story kinda, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, I just add tags huh?, I need coffee, Mystery, Pls forgive my trash, Rosaline and Jay dont take life seriously, So Much Friendship, So..., Some characters are mentioned but I'm too lazy to add them all, Sue me :D, They are the comedic relief, Too many puns, heh, not enough time, some character death, uuugh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-20 20:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17628896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyBudgie/pseuds/ChubbyBudgie
Summary: Two adult women, unable to take life seriously, set out on a goal to satisfy their thirst for mystery. Rosaline and Jay are a pair of inseparable friends on a quest to dig up Mt. Ebott's secrets.With the vast wilderness property owned by Rosaline's family, a cabin containing a collection of notes recounting tales about a world under the mountain, and Jay's knack for mythology and history, the two make a dangerous mystery solving duo.A new telling of monsterkind's fate under the mountain, filled with friendship, adventure, magic, sorrow and LOVE. Following two heroins and their unintentional quest to save monsterkind from an impossible prison and an impassable foe.





	1. Let It begin

Taking in a deep breath: in through your nose. Hold it for ten seconds; give up half way through because you’ve just passed by a dairy farm. Whew Mama! The stench coming off those beauties!

Rosaline lets out a gag as her grip on the steering wheel of her car tightens, her passenger’s reaction doesn’t miss a beat behind hers. This was to be expected, when traveling through the country side on dirt roads.

A shared laugh erupts within the car, Rosaline and her friend found a small spark of amusement in each other’s reaction to the attack on their noses. The stench soon leaves, when the car speeds out of reach from the farm field filled with the mammals. So much green blurs past the side windows, as Rosaline only eases on the gas for turns and stops.

Rosaline was a relatively average person; she didn’t excel in a lot of her college classes, and liked it that way. She was happy with being an average Joe, and wanted to keep her life simply managed. Her sense in style however, was anything _BUT_ average. Her bright curly ginger hair glowed fiercely in the sun’s rays; its medium length bob cut with a greater amount parted to her left. The hair style would have seemed normal, had she chosen to not have two longer portions of her hair fall over the front of her shoulders, falling just under her chest.  Her pale complexion was splashed with vague freckles, and her cheeks relatively always rosy.

The passenger beside Rosaline finally lets out a sigh of content, to which the driver spares a side glance and a warm smile.

“Somethin’ on your mind, Birdy?” Rosaline asks, curiosity lacing her words. “You’ve been awfully quiet for a while, considering you were full of conversation a minute ago.”

The passenger stares over to Rosaline, and bares a wide grin on her face. Her smile reaches her eyes, her face rosy with joy.

“It’s nothing Rose, I’m just super excited that we can finally go on an adventure together!”

The passenger lifts her right one foot onto her seat, hugging the knee to her chest with both arms. The girl had raven black wavy hair that fell just past her shoulders, with straight bangs lying just above her eyebrows.  The girl’s skin is not quite as pale, with very little beauty marks. Her piercing blue eyes study Rosaline thoughtfully.

“We’ve always talked about going on an adventure like this when we were in high school; how when we would get enough money to travel together and see new places!”

Rosaline hums softly, reminiscing on the promise with a distant expression. Her golden eyes return to the present as she scans the road ahead, letting up on the gas and crossing her hands on the wheel, preparing for a turn.

“I just hope you’re still cool with being out at my family’s hunting cabin Jay, I know it’s not the ‘historical attraction’ or ‘ _fancy schmancy_ resorts’ we talked about.”

Jay’s eyes soften at her friend’s words, sighing out in mock exasperation, her smile never faltering.

“Well, I guess I will be a merciful ruler just this once, and let this mistake slide-However!” Jay points an accusing finger toward the pilot of the car, “-You can make it up to me, by retelling the story behind your family’s cabin!”

Rosaline playfully blows a raspberry, shoulders shaking as a soft giggle escapes her. “Such a merciful King, this humble servant is blessed with your gesture~ - but seriously bruh, you’ve heard the story like, two times.” Rosaline snorts softly at their antics, pulling off the dirt road, and driving up a patchy tire path. Trees and bushes have greedily grown close to the path, from years of neglect.

It has been a very long time since anyone in Rose’s family used the cabin in the back country. With her grandfather and uncle having passed away, no one felt the need to use the cabin- for hunting or otherwise.

Rosaline recounts the stories her grandfather would tell her and her cousins, when the family would gather for small holiday get-togethers. Rose had always been the most enchanted about the fantastical stories her grandfather would tell, and believed them whole heartedly. She was ecstatic to be sharing such a passion with a close friend with shared interests.

“The very cabin we are traveling to, have been in my family for a few generations.” Rose begins, putting on her best ‘ _presenters_ ’ voice. “It was built by my grandfather’s grandfather, where he lived with his wife and child; the child being my grandfather’s mother.”

As the story goes; the family of three lived in the cabin, the property of it being near a lake, at the foot of a mountain called Mount Ebott. The mountain was a place where many would get lost on when traveling at night; where few to none would return. The child of the family however, had vanished while exploring the mountain, only to reappear a few weeks later, surprising unharmed, and well nourished.

While it was a mystery as to what transpired for the child in those weeks, the stories passed down to Rose’s grandfather were that of fairy tale- Monsters trapped under the mountain by magic. The story wasn’t at all well known, it was only passed down through her family; which everyone but Rose paid little mind to.

Up until meeting her friend in high school, Rosaline was the only mythology and history nut who reveled in the idea of such an important story. After passing the knowledge to her friend Jay, the story became one of the very things that the two bonded over.

“Even _if_ that story is _remotely_ fantasy, it’s still stupid cool to imagine your great grandmother kicking a _Monster King’s ASS_ , and _returning_ to the surface.” Jay gushed. The poor girl’s nearly pop out of her head as they finally pull up into a clearing, where the cabin comes into view.

It’s a decent, two story cabin, with a small wrap-around porch. From what Rose can remember; the first floor is comprised of a small open kitchen with a dining room, a small walk-in pantry, two closets, and a lounge with a stone fireplace. The second floor had three bedrooms, a large walk-in closet, and a bathroom. The cabin looks relatively modern, after having gone through many renovations in the past, with enough room to house five people comfortably.

As the car pulls in to park, Rosaline feels a sudden electrifying wave fall over her, and visibly shivers in her seat. She takes a moment to blink, and pulls her hands from the steering wheel as if it were on fire. She looks at her arms, and notices that they are littered with goose-bumps. . . _Weeeeiird._

Jay removes her seat buckle, and leans over to Rosaline, her expression both curious and worried. “Dude, you look like you were struck with some major _heebie jeebies._ ” Jay reaches her hand over, and places it on Rosaline’s shoulder, “you look like someone just poked you with a bug zapper, your arm hair is standing up on end too, neat.”

Rosaline let out a soft snort, shaking off whatever feeling that came over her. She turns her head to look at Jay, and offers an appreciative smile.

“Guess it’s the fact that my great grandmother passed away in this house, maybe she’s trying to _haunt_ me~.” Rosaline laughs off, and receives the desired reaction from her companion.

Jay’s eyes widen to the size if dinner plates, her hand gripping Rosaline’s shoulder more tightly. “Dude, no way. Like, s _eriously_?” Jay looks over to the cabin, and points an accusing finger at it with her free hand. “Granny kicked the bucket in this cabin?”

Rosaline snorts slightly, and then shrugs her shoulder, causing Jay’s hand to slide off.

“That’s what I’ve heard, though I don’t remember where my grandpa said she was buried. . . Maaaybe somewhere on the property?”

It’s Jays turn to visibly shiver at the thought, then smiles to herself as she lets out a soft ‘cool’ under her breath. “Your family is just all about that spooky stuff huh?”

Rosaline lets off another shrug, and unbuckles her seatbelt, “I guess so- let’s get everything out of the car and into the cabin. ‘Donno bout you, but I’d rather _NOT_ sleep in the car tonight.”

The two girls step out of the car, and take in the fresh air of the woods. The scenery was far quieter than the busy sounds of their college town. Having grown up in the more rural side of the country, she felt more at home.

Unpacking the stuffed car didn’t take too long for the girls; turning it into a competition of who can take in the most things- Rosaline won by a landslide since she had a head start, and had a greater carrying capacity compared to Jay, who had a more slimmer frame in comparison. The girls panted tiredly, as they crashed onto the sofa in the lounge, packed bags littering the floor in a hurricane of clutter. Jay was the first to break the silence, as she crinkled up her nose, and let out a hefty sneeze. Rose’s tired laugh soon followed.

“Yeah, we should probably open up some windows. The dust in this bad boy is the thing of legends.” Rosaline says tiredly, not making any indication that she will get up. Jay lets out a defeated whine.

“ _Cleaning_? But I’m so _tiiired,_ five more minutes _moooom.”_ Jays says in mock annoyance, slouching out on the sofa’s arm rest to further her point. Rosaline laughs softly, and hoists herself from her comfortable spot.

“That’s alright sweet pea, I still have some energy left.” Rosaline stretches her arms over her head, letting out a soft grunt as a joint pops; relaxing her posture with a soft sigh. Jay just stares up at the slightly taller woman, horror and disbelief written all over her face.

“How can you still have energy; after having _driven_ us here, unloaded the car like a _damn_ super trooper _,_ and sat down for _barely_ two minutes!” Jay raises her arms in emphases, and lets them flop back down to her sides.

Rosaline pivots on the ball of her left foot, and faces Jay with her hands balled into fists, resting them on her hips in a power pose. She grins like an idiot, feeling herself only becoming more energized from her friend’s disbelief. “You underestimate me young lord! The fires burning within me shall never be quenched!” Rosaline takes on a dramatic tone, raising one of her fists into the air.

“I feel replenished already! I will even go as far as to clean! I cannot allow such vile specks attack the nose of my beloved young master!” Rosaline takes a dramatic bow, before letting out a soft snort.

Jay was catching onto Rose’s energy, as she too took off the couch with the stupidest grin on her face. She takes a powerful stand, and folds her arms behind her back. “But of course, my dear servant! It is only obvious that you would protect your master from the fate of dust! Your quick witted competence continues to please me!” Jay places a hand onto Rose’s shoulder, beginning to giggle joyously.

Rose lifts her head, sticking her tongue out playfully, and blowing a raspberry. The two of them howl in a fit of laughter from their antics. Jay wipes a non-existent tear from her eye, and lets out a soft sigh. “Rite-o, if you’re going to be tackling the cleaning, I guess I’ll just have to make some effort too,” Jay says playfully, patting Rose’s head since it’s still at a low position. “How about I whip up some grub while you do some cleaning? I’ll also put the grocery away while I’m at it.”

Rosaline has to keep from salivating at the idea of food, and nods her head eagerly. Never in her life would she pass up the idea of eating Jay’s cooking. Jay was truly god’s gift with her cooking.

The idea of getting a well-deserved meal after work fills Rosaline with a newfound strength. Standing straighter, she mock salutes her slightly shorter companion, and sprints off to gather cleaning supplies from one of the downstairs closets. It is located adjacent to the kitchen, and is filled with all kinds of cleaning supplies. She grabs what needed supplies to help her clean all surfaces of the cabin.

Tying back her bob hair with an elastic band, she rolls up her sleeves and kicks off her shoes by the front door. Rosaline begins with opening all the windows within the cabin: Two in the kitchen, three in the lounge, one by the front door, and nine more windows on the second floor. Rosaline grunts as she opens the last window in the cabin on the second floor.

 _‘I’d curse the maniac had the brilliant idea of making so many windows in this ding-darn cabin!’_ Rosaline thinks to herself, and has to physically smack herself in the forehead when she remembers that it was her ancestor who in fact made this ding-darn cabin. _Smoooth._

Rosaline face plants into the lounges large sofa as she finished cleaning _ALL THE SURFACES_ within the cabin, her muscles screaming at her for having done so much work.

“Leeeemoooon! So much of it! It’s everywhere!” Rosaline groans, her voice muffles by the sofa cushion. She turns her face to lay it on its side, tiredly blowing hair out of her face. “The smeeeell! It’s like there has been a complete genocide of the lemon race in this cabin, the smell is going to be burned into my nose forever.” She softly whines, and lets herself be still for a little moment. Jay’s voice can be heard in the kitchen through the door connecting the two.

“Well at least it doesn't smell like cow butt. Your valiant efforts have been recognized, and deeply appreciated dear child.” Jay playfully coo’s, “I am almost done cooking, rest a bit.”

Rosaline hums out softly in response, eyes lightly closing as she plays sprawled on the sofa on her stomach. The gears in her head begin to turn, and her eyes snap open in realization.

“Hey! Excuuuuse meee! Child? Im older than you Jay!” Rosaline cries out from on the piece of furniture, not making an effort to move however.

Jay snorts, and lets out a mocking laugh from her place in the kitchen. Pots and pans begin to clash together gently. “HAH! Older she says, so precious~” The clattering sound quiets as Jay continues to speak, “you’re only older by like a year, yet somehow I’m a year ahead of you in uni~.”

Rosaline rolls onto her back, looking towards the door to the kitchen, getting a clear view of Jay hovering about the kitchen. She raises her arm, and points an accusing finger towards Jay’s general direction. “That’s because, you’re a _NERD! . . . ***snrk***_ ” Rosaline begins to crack up a bit on the couch, letting her arm drop and lay against the side of the couch, while the other lays across her stomach. She closes her eyes as she settles down. “Heh, I made a funny~”

Soft stomping can be heard in the kitchen, the sound of the fridge opens, a drawer opens, some rustling sounds of . . . Plastic? The drawer shuts, as well as the fridge. . . Some softer stomping, but they sound like they’re getting closer. The soft stomping stops abruptly by the couch, next to Rosaline. Just as Rosaline cracks open a curious eye, something cold slaps down onto her face.

Rose yelps out in surprise, sitting up in the process. The cold object that was slapped onto her face slides down slowly, and lands onto her lap. . . It’s a slice of salami. . .

_Wat._

She glares down at the deli meat as though it just insulted her mother, then turns her head to give the same glare to the attacker who had just caused said salami assault. Jay is doubled over laughing her ass off.

“Jay. . . _Why. ._ Please. Just.  _Why.”_ Rosaline says with disbelief, and picks up the slice of meat as though it was going to bite her at any given moment.

“Well. . .” Jay begins, and snorts momentarily as she takes a breath. “With such **_bologna_** remarks, I couldn’t just let you **_deli_** me such **_greasy_** fighting words.”

Rosaline side glares the slightly shorter girl, scrunching up her nose. “Jay, _No.”_

“What Rosie-Q? Can’t handle the ** _Beef_** I’m feeding you?”

Rosaline throws her head back and lets out a loud groan. “ ** _JAAY,_** you are the **_WURST.”_** She slides up off the couch and goes to throw out the slice of meat with utter annoyance. “I’d throw this at you, but it would get grease everywhere, and I just cleaned.” She says as she drops the meat slice into the trash, and begins washing off her face and hands. Jay’s roars soon die down as she follows the ginger into the kitchen, and returns to the stove.

“You have to admit, it was funny as hell.” Jay says smugly, as she begins to pull down two plates from the cupboard, as well as two glasses. She inspects them with an approving nod; Rose had done a good job with washing the dust off the kitchen ware.

Rosaline dries off her hands with a hand towel, and rolls down her sleeves, using them to dry off her face. “It was, and I hate how well you executed it.” Rosaline says with a huff, and walks behind Jay to peek over her shoulder at her culinary success, salivating at the sight and smell.

Jay lets out a laugh at the gingers response, turning her head to the other as she begins to dish the meal. “Hey, could you get out the wine? It would definitely go well with supper.” Jay says in a soft voice, her expression warm with appreciation.

Rosaline steps back, crossing her arms behind her with a thoughtful expression. She bites her lower lip as she looks upward, as if the thought she is looking for is somewhere off in the distance. “Wine…. If I remember, there should be some in the cellar from the last time my family celebrated here.” Rose says distantly.  Puffing out her cheek and nodding, yes, that should be right.

Jay turned half way as she looked over to Rose, quirking up a questioning brow. “From. . . The last family celebration? How long ago was that?”

“It was the first of July when I was about seventeen, so about five years ago?” Rosaline said thoughtfully, nodding to confirm her words.

“Geeze, go get that. Better to finish off what’s there.” Jay says, before turning back to serving supper.

Rosaline nods her head lightly, and turns on her heel. Walking out of the kitchen, she arrives at a door just under the stairs going up. This particular door goes to the root cellar, while the door to its left is a closet.

Throwing open the door to the cellar, Rose reaches in on her right and switches the lights on. They flicker only momentarily, before holding a steady glow.

Carefully descending the creaking stairs to the cellar, Rosaline is struck with a strange gut feeling . . . Nostalgic? Rosaline frowns to herself; she wouldn’t have any reason to be nostalgic of a dusty and cold root cellar. She shrugs off the oddity and reaches the cold stone floor of the cellar. The room itself is very dim and boringly grey, generally just sad and cold looking.  Boxes clutter and fill the small room, filled with old and new stuff, though Rose has never really bothered looking through them before.

Turning to her right, she steps over towards the wine rack, and spots two bottle sitting side by side. She picks each one up, evaluating their contents, and brand. Nodding and scratching her chin, she pretends as though she is some sort of wine connoisseur. Chuckling to herself, she picks up the bottle that is unopened.

“Aint gonna drink from a bottle re-corked. Don’t know what kind of condition that bad boy is in.” Rosaline mumbles to herself absent-mindedly. Cradling the bottle to her chest, she walks off towards the direction of the stairs; Rose’s mind wanders off to earlier, when they arrived at the cabin. The strange shock she felt was very… well, strange. She doesn’t recall ever having felt like that in the past. Jay even said she felt it too, right? So what the frick? **_*Thump*_**

Rosaline grunts as her forehead makes contact with the wall. Wall? She steps back, and looks to her surrounding area. It’s on the side of the room to the left of the stairs when coming down, and the area is the most cluttered.

“Uuhm… Yes.” Rosaline says to herself. Had she just walked past the stairs, weaved past boxes, all to smack into the wall? What a dangerous talent, Rosaline pats herself on the back.

She stares at the direction she just came from, before turning back towards the wall she just confronted a moment ago. She looks it up and down, tilting her head to the side in question. What motive exactly brought her over to this very wall? There wasn’t much to it, it was the same at the other three: cemented with cobblestone, rather rustic. She glares at the wall a little, hoping that it will tell her the secrets to the universe.

Scrunching up her nose, she realizes that the wall will be keeping its secrets this time. Just as she turns to weave back through the army of boxes, her feet cement to the floor abruptly. Taking in a deep breath, her body feels as though it moves on its own, yet in a familiar way. She turns around and crouches down. Right at eye level, there is a stone that doesn’t look conspicuous in any way, but what is interesting about it, is the lack of cement holding it in place. Staring at the stone a bit more, the stone doesn’t appear to belong at all; it lacks the exact shape of its hole- oooh.

The wall has spoken. Thank you wall, you are the goodest of walls.

Gently setting the wine bottle down beside her, Rosaline evaluates how she should go about investing the wall-rock imposter. She reaches attentively towards it, as if not wanting to scare it away, before retracting her hands half way through. What if it was booby trapped? Or maybe there was a home of friendly ants, which are just about to send their children off to college. But what if they don’t want to go to college? What if they want to become a professional dancer, and not have to abide to societies rules? Don’t force them to mindlessly follow the syst- oh geeze.

“Geeze Rose, don’t start getting all sedimental about it. Just sneak a peek at the wall’s secrets and bring the wine to Jay.” Rosaline scolds herself, reaching back towards the rock once more. Her small hands grip it firmly, and slide it out of its place.

“Sorry ant family, send off your kids with my best wisheeooh, that’s-a… thing.” Rose says with surprise, staring at a grey rectangle shape in the new-found hole. Rose cautiously reaches her hand inside, cringing in anticipation for something gross to happen. Her hand clasps the rectangle, as well as something bundled up.

Pulling out the contents, a thoughtful hum escapes Rosaline. It was a cellphone, accompanied by some sort of cable, perhaps it’s the phone’s charger?

“ **ROSE**! Did you die?” Calls Jay from up the cellar stairs, Rosaline nearly smacks her face into the wall a second time out of surprise. Rose is silent for a moment, before letting out a guilty ‘no’, feeling as though she was just caught stealing cookies without permission.

“Then get your booty upstairs!” Jay calls down; there was no bite behind her words.

Rose grumbles to herself softly, clutching the phone to her chest, and grabbing the wine bottle with her free hand. Getting to her feet, she snakes past all the boxes, and back up the cellar stairs.

Maybe the cabin really is haunted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first story on this web, I wasn't even sure If I wanted to post once here. But I was writing this silly story for fun, so I figured I'd share it.  
> Leave a comment in what you like, or what you think the story could improve on.  
> I look forward to feedback~! ^u^


	2. Getting (un)Settled In

Jay pops a roasted potato into her mouth as she observes Rosaline from across the table; she struggles between being amused and curious at the girl’s antics.

On yonder side of the table, Rose savors the taste of the meal prepared by Jay; Potatoes roasted with garlic, green beans and onions and seasoned cube steak cooked just to her liking. She doesn’t hold back with humming happily. Though, part of the red-head’s attention is on the discovery she found down in the root cellar.

Jay takes a sip from her wine, and clears her throat. “So, I’m guessing that you found that while you were down there?” She inquires, and takes a bite of her steak.

Drawn out of her thoughts, Rosaline nods in affirmation, taking a sip of her own wine to cleanse her pallet. “Yes, it was, very strange. . .”

Jay hums out in response; quirking up a questioning brow as she continues to eat. Rosaline clears her throat, intent on elaborating on the statement.

“I was on my way to bring the bottle upstairs, I was deep on thought about the strange feeling we-I mean I got when we arrived here… Y’know, that weird ‘bug-zap’ or whatever.” Rosaline sets down her utensils, folding her hands together on her lap. “It was strange Jay, never once have I ever felt such. . . Such an unexplainable feeling at this place.” Rosaline’s face was always honest when expressing her emotions; confusion and worry are written clearly over it.

Jay leans her head in her hand, smiling reassuringly towards her friend. She didn’t like seeing Rose being put down so much; they had been looking forward to this trip for a whole year, she’d damn anything that got in the way of their long awaited adventure.

“You want to theorize about it Rosaline? Come up with ideas for this mystery?” Jay shifts in her seat, pulling up her right foot into her seat. “Cuz if you ask me, from the stories you’ve told me; all this mysterious spoopy stuff going on, it’s starting to get pretty interesting.”

Rose’s head perks up at her companions words, tilting her head in thought, with everything laid out thick, everything was starting to sound more and more interesting about the cabin- and if anything, the strange energy around the place did make the magical stories about the mountain seem more exciting.

Feeling more confidants, Rosaline smiles and nods her head, more at ease with her friend’s words. “Yes, there certainly is something strange, I can feel it, ya know?” Rose takes a sip from her wine before continuing.

“I got a feeling of something familiar when I first went downstairs, and when I had been deep in thought, I felt as though my body was put on some sort of autopilot- you know what you feel tired, and your body already knows an engraved…. Routine…” Rosaline puffs out her cheeks a bit at that thought, while Jay’s eyes widen a bit.

“That’s some spooky mystical shit right there,” Jay says as she slaps a hand onto the table. “And you had no idea that dinosaur relic was there?”

Rose shakes her head in earnest, looking to the bulky flip phone. She attentively picks it up, and flips it open gingerly. “It was behind loose rock in the wall. I would have never even seen it, had I kneeled down and looked directly at it for some reason.” Rosaline pulls the tie out of her hair, running her fingers through her hair to fix it.

Softly humming, Jay looks to the phone, and digests the information. “Well it has to belong to someone in your family, since no one but your family has ever been in this cabin.” She lightly taps a finger against the table as she analyzes the information more. Jay has always been big on mysteries, and pinning together clues and bits of information together. Puzzling over a few more ideas, she lightly shrugs.

“We’d need to get some more information before putting puzzle pieces together Rosie, but so far, there are some pretty interesting clues laid out on the table.” A smirk is clear in Jay’s voice, as she folds her hands together in her best evil-villain impersonation. Rosaline clearly gets giddy, beyond ready to get a head start on their first intended goal for their adventure- even if they never actually thought it would be fruitful: exploring the magical mysteries connected to the stories Rose’s grandfather told, about the cabin and the mountain, and see what clues they can find to prove if any part of the stories are true.

Before Rose can speak however, Jay takes on her authoritative demeanor, and holds up a hand. “Before we geek-out and get out quest on however, we should finish eating supper; we can’t brainstorm on an empty stomach, can we?” Jay holds her head high; she always favored playing the role of leaders, and characters of importance.

Rosaline’s expression melts from its previous excitement, to warm understanding. She lightly nods her head to her friend’s words. “Right as always, young master~! Your culinary skills are wondrous as always.”

After finishing their meal, and cleaning up, the two girls took to the lounge with the bottle of wine. They spread out different note books that they confiscated from their bags upstairs, as well as some pens and pencils thrown about to help add flair to the madness.

Rose is curled up with a blanket on her lap, as she reads over her grandfather’s story in note form; she always found it easier to organize her thoughts through writing, that way she wouldn’t miss or forget any bit of information. She pushes up a pair of thin framed glasses, biting her lower lip as she studies over the details of the story.

Jay has taken to laying her head on Rosaline’s lap, while she scribbles in messy notes of what physical information they have gathered, to compare any information on the story. She absently chomps on her pencil as she looks over her current list. As Rose lets out a thoughtful noise, Jay’s fierce blue eyes dart to the other’s focused expression.

“Anything interesting so far?” Jay asks up.

“Well, hmm… one moment. . .” Rosaline shifts gently, and pulls up an old and tattered book from the coffee table, and skims over it. Nodding in affirmation she places the newer notebook down, and gently holds the aged one close.

“This here is one of a few notebooks that my grandfather held onto, they belonged to his mother; it’s the tale she wrote about her venture under the mountain, it’s strangely detailed for… being made by a child…” Rose hums to herself.

Jay rolls her eyes playfully, and holds out her hand, so that she could read over the book. Rosaline gently passes the book to her friend, as she continues on.

“It recounts not only her journey, but also ‘the history of the monsters, and their banishment under the mountain’. Apparently long ago, human mages placed a magical barrier to keep them in…”

Jay’s eyes perk up at that, as she skims over the notes to digest Rose’s words further.

“So, could that energy we felt have come from that barrier?” Jay ponders inquisitively.

Rose taps her chin, before shaking her head. “I don’t believe so Jay; I would have felt it a long time ago if it were the case. . . Thoooough!” Rosaline sifts through some other books, puffing out her cheeks as she fishes out the right one.

Jay sits up, so she can give Rose space to dive into the notes. She reads through the current one with deep interest, nodding lightly.

“Here~!” Rose exclaims softly, holding up another tattered book with a triumphant look in her eyes. “She wrote about souls in this one~!” Rosaline exclaims excitedly.

Jay was almost jealous that Rosaline had access to such a treasure trove of fantastical writings, and more so that she has so much time to dive into them whenever she was at the cabin as a child. She none-the-less felt blessed that Rose trusted her enough to share such an heirloom with her, it made her friendship feel valued deeply.

Jealously and deep adoration aside, Jay was filled with a gust of excitement, that made itself known through an audible squeal.

“Y-you mean- The one that talks abo- with the-!” Jay vibrates excitedly next to Rosaline, who laughs softly, flipping through the pages with upmost care.

“Yes, this one talks about human and monster souls, aaand, what attributes and colors they make up.” Rosaline speaks with a soft tone, and stops on a page. “Would you like to take on a short side quest, to guess what your soul is? Or continue with our main quest?” Rose spares Jay a sly side-stare, knowing that this question would cause the raven haired girl to internally scream as such a life-important decision.

Jay takes in a deep breath, appearing to compose her, before screaming like a banshee.

“SIDE QUEST WOMAN! I need to know my soooul! Short side-quest please!!” Jay stares up at Rosaline with pleading eyes. The ginger can’t help but soften, reaching her hand and giving Jay a soft rub on the head.

“I always get side-tracked on smaller quest anyway~” Rose coo’s, before setting the book on her lap, clearing her throat. “There is quite a range of colors that coincide with different traits; much like we know as the seven deadly sins and the seven heavily virtues.” Rosaline reads off the book, tucking some hair behind her ear, “The dominant trait within someone’s values, and or personality, take the form of the corresponding color, that isn’t to say that they are the only traits.” Rosaline’s eyes trail off of the page, and she stares long and hard at Jay, humming softly.

Jay stares up at her friend expectantly, having grown familiar with reading her friends facial expressions. It was a running joke between the two of them, that whenever Rosaline would get a distant-glassy look in her eyes, and then expresses some sort of deep information pertaining to individuals-whether she knows it to be true or false information- her predictions tended to lean as positive ninety-five percent of the time. Thus, the two of them dubbed her as some sort of fortune teller. Neither of them could explain the occurrence, other than that it was just a deep feeling Rosaline got.

Such an ability always fascinated Jay, so whenever she saw Rosaline’s expression become extra thoughtful; as though she were reading into Jay’s very soul, she always knew something important was going to be said-even if that information didn’t make sense at the time, or if the information was like a fleeting thought.

Rosaline takes a deep breath, after a few minutes of silence; she looks Jay in her eyes, narrowing her eyes as she stares deep. Smiling softly, she places a fist into her open hand. As if she had struck a perfect idea.

“Well, gathering the fact that while you are a brave individual, and how you always put forward your justified view of fairness, there has always been one quality that I’ve always seen in you!” Rosaline speaks, carefully laying out her thoughts. “You are a very PRIDEful person Jay! You keep your head high; you have the confidence of a lion, an aura of a mighty king.”

Jay blushes bashfully, and scratches the back of her head as she laughs. “W-well **_DUH_** _,_ That’s because I was obviously an important leader in a past life, my _soul_ sure as hell wouldn’t forget such important information.” Jay rambles, before resting her head against Rosaline’s shoulder.

She looks down, trying to decipher this information from the notes on Rosaline’s lap.

“So, o-great-and-wise prophet, if we say that, my soul is in-fact that of Pride, what color would it be?”

Rosaline takes a moment to read through the notes, then humming softly. “It would be a golden color, between yellow and orange.” She explains as she looks at the notes.

A groan escapes Jay’s lips, slapping her hands over her face.

“ _Whyyyy_! I wanted it to be _Blue_!!! Gaaah!”

Rose laughs lightly, and pats Jay’s head gently. “Hey, ease up buttercup, this is just my speculation, I can be wrong.” She says sympathetically, “After all, we’d have to see it to know for sure… Though that may not be possible. . .”

Her rambles die down as she notices Jay’s deadly side-glance, hands sliding off her face in defeat.

“Rose. . . Sweetie. . . When have you ever been wrong about this stuff?” Jay asks almost bored, but with no bite behind her words. Rosaline looks off in the opposite direction bashfully, fiddling with her hands.

“Well, it’s only an educated guess; I was only going on what I know about you. I’m really just pulling this information out my ass.”

“ROSE! You’ve literally guessed right about my ancestry! Back when we were kids and we hardly knew anything about each other! To further that point, you’ve spouted out ‘nonsense’ that ended up being important information in the future!” Jay stands on her knees on the couch, and roughly grips her friends face with both hands, forcing her to look back at her. “You saved me from a great deal of food poisoning, when I had bought faulty packaged meats! Yah damn oracle!”

“I believe in the words of the MIGHTY PROPHET! _I BELIEVE IN YOU_!” Jay shouts, a goofy grin plastered over her face. Her hands squishing Rose’s cheeks together.

**_*snrk*_ **

The two girls collapse into a fit of giggles, their fits of laughter bouncing off the walls of the lounge. After a few moments, they ease out of their madness, and sigh out in content. In the moment of silence, Rosaline stares off at the wall, humming thoughtfully.

Jay wipes the tears from her face, and looks to Rosaline. She tilts her head, wondering what’s caught her curiosity. She stares in the same direction, and only saw the bare wall, and frowns a bit in confusion.

“Somethin’ interesting about that there wall Rose? Did it insu -...” Jay silences, and narrows her eyes at her friend’s face. _Oh_.

Rosaline continues to stare off at the wall, and shakes her head, almost in a dream-like state.

“No... I was just thinking of the color blue. Deep like the ocean… It reminds me of how deep your emotions are, how deeply honest you are with me, as deep as my trust in you, as my friend.” Rose’s eyes leave the wall; they are glazed over in an almost distant-dreamy stare, the smile on her face could melt a glacier. Jay smiles back, relaxing her shoulders. “A royal blue, fit for an upright ruler.”

 _‘There it is, that’s the look.’_ Jay thinks, feeling all happy and emotional. The words spoken, they felt right.

“Royal blue, huh? Guess I’ll have to wear it when we go out exploring tomorrow. A fit color for an important person, and I’ll need my most valuable ally alongside me.”

Rosaline blinks away the glassy look from her eyes, and nods her head gently. “Yes! Blue has always been your favorite color after all; not only does it look good on you, but you also have that fancy ‘adventuring attire’ you got just for some back woods hike.”

Jay playfully flicks her friend’s shoulder, “Come now servant, I can’t have our soon-to-be monster acquaintances thinking I’m just any human~” She crosses her arms over her chest, “And you damn better wear the one I got for you too, I can’t be the only one dressed like an epic fool, we have to match!”

Rosaline sighs softly, smiling like an idiot. “I guess it’s only fair, partners in crime need to dress the part.” She stretches out and yawns. Looking to her personal phone, she sees that it’s late into the night.

“Gee-golly, time for us to hit the hay.” She says, as she tidies up the papers and books. She picks up the old flip phone with its cable as she stands up. Jay follows her lead, a contagious yawn escaping her as well.

“Rite-o flower princess, you going to charge that dino while we sleep?” Jay asks through her hand, feeling another yawn coming on.

Rosaline tiredly yawns “Yeah, t’ see if this bad-boi gonna. . . Do the thing. . . Yeah.” She rambles tiredly.

Jay simply nods, and hums in response. The two stumble their way upstairs like toddlers, turning the lights off along the way, and retire to their respective rooms for the night.

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

_‘Everything feels like white, or, is it the fact that I am surrounded by nothing but white? The white isn’t so bad I guess . . . It’s a bit lonely though, I wish Jay were here, it’d be fun to float around in all this white space with her.’_

**_Soft whispers can be heard in the distance, whether it is one of many voices, it is indecipherable the quantity of voices, or the quality of their words. The surrounding white feels as though it’s beginning to shift, a magnetic pull is drawing in Rosaline._ **

_‘Which way is up? Oh boy, I might just get motion sick. . . Or not, that’s cool to . . . Hello? I hear someone, can you hear me? Are you pulling me?’_

**_The pull continues, getting stronger with every passing moment. The whispers seem to be getting closer too, though their words are still incomprehensible. The only thing Rosaline can tell, is that there is no hostility in the sound of the voice, voices? She doesn’t really know how she can tell, but she can just feel it, as though her whole body knows that they are. . Scared._ **

_‘Are you alright? Do you need help? I want to help you; I just need to find you first.’_

**_The weightless feeling that Rose was feeling as she was being pulled began to slip away, feeling as though someone was beginning to place weights onto her. No longer was she being pulled, but was sensing that she may be falling. Panic bursts from her core, as she tries to reach out, to grab something, anything. She has no sense of space; no sense of when the fall will end is filling her with ~~DREAD~~._ **

**_Rosaline tries to scream out for help, but it seems as though she’s lost her voice. She wants to cry out for help, to the voices calling to her, to cry for Jay to catch her. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she will be okay? As though her thought were her very actions; the white surrounding her lapsed into black._ **

**_No more falling, no more whispers._ **

**_Everything_ **

**_Was_ **

**_Just_ **

**_Still._ **

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

The feeling of solid ground beneath her feet wasn’t gradual, but it wasn’t immediate either. It was like waking up, and slowly realizing that you were sleeping in a bed, and not really in your dream. The air around her felt strange, as though it were vibrating … _Electric. . ._

Her eyelids felt heavy, but she still mustered the strength to lift them. The surrounding area was unfamiliar, a blur. It looked white? But it wasn’t. The only thing that made sense to her was that there was a figure standing before her.

The figure looked like a person. Were they short? Or just standing far away, they were a blur, and depth was not available for her. The surrounding environment was making it hard to tell what they looked like, were they a human? They looked humanoid by relative shape. . .

Rosaline couldn’t decipher their expression; their facial features were hard to focus on. But she could feel their expression, like their eyes were burning into her _SOUL._

This person was not happy. No, they felt enraged, vulnerable.

Panic was setting in; Rose knew that this person was dangerous. She had to get away from them, to run. She had to warn anyone around about this dangerous being, to warn Jay.

Her eyelids felt heady again, she didn’t fight to keep them open. She felt so very tired, so very cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter is to come! (~-u-)~


	3. Food For Thought

A thunderous bang erupted momentarily in Rosaline’s room, startling her awake with a scream.  The slightest sound always managed to wake her up, being that she was a light sleeper.

As she was taking in her surroundings, remembering that she is in fact in her bedroom, still in the cabin. A buzzing continues to sound from bellow, before silencing completely.

Rosaline peeks down off of her bed, to discover the culprit for her morning scare; the old flip phone.

“Oh, aren’t you just a sassy slice of bitch. . “ Rosaline softly grumbles, rubbing at her face tiredly. The room was now relaxed, but only for a moment, as her door slams open and startling her.

“I’ll kick your butt if you hurt my precious flow-oh, no intruder. . . Sweet lookin’ mop on that head of yours.” Jay snorts, easing up on her attack. The Raven-haired girl was still dressed in a wrinkled pair of blue pajama shorts, and an even more wrinkled green tank top, with a strap hanging off one of the shoulders. Her hair though, looked no better; strands sticking out every direction, and looked much frizzled.

Rosaline grumbled, trying to tame her mini-afro of a bedhead, running her fingers through it. “You’re one to talk, captain obvious. . . What made you think you could take someone on with a pillow?”

Jay looks down to the pillow clutched in her hands, before looking up to Rosaline, a casual shrug falling off her shoulders.

“I dunno, smother them to death I guess? I heard you scream, I was down to beat up the chum who thought they could jump my precious friend.”

Rosaline tiredly groans, before slipping from her bed, she’s only wearing a large t-shirt, and her underoos. Squatting down, she picks up the flip phone from the floor, freeing it from its charging cable.

“Good luck smothering a piece of technology. . . It’s not even sentient. .” She grumbles, and flips the ass-hat open. “This thing fell down from my nightstand; I guess it was vibrating up a storm. . .”

Jay hugs her pillow close, walking over to her friend’s side, to inspect the little devil.

“Really? That’s a good sign; it’s taking in the power. Know why it was having a seizure though?” She sniffs softly, resting her chin on the pillow in her arms.

Rosaline doesn’t even need to interact with the phones power button, as it seems to already be on. She navigates through the phones different options, cursing the old technology for making her have to work her brain so early in the morning. She freezes her actions when she finds the contact’s list.

“Jesus, someone really didn’t check their inbox . . . This thing is bursting with unread messages, no wonder it was a spaz; they all came in at once. . .” Rosaline squints her eyes as she reads through the contact names, biting her lower lips.

“FartMaster, Paps, Buff Fish, Al, Goat Mama. . . The most messages are from the contact Papy, FartMaster isn’t a lot, but not few either. . .”

Jay snorts softly at the name, “FartMaster, wow. I really need the story behind that name. Should we read the messages? See who owned the spooky phone?” She asks with a bit more energy. Rosaline crumbles and closes the phone.

“This little shit woke me up, it can wait for all I care . . . I need coffee first, too early for this crap.” Rosaline sighs, rubbing at her tired face. What had she been dreaming about? There was still a lingering feeling of dread. But she couldn’t help but also feel. . . Sad? Worried for whoever made her feel such dread.

With a sigh of defeat, Jay hangs her head with a light nod. “Fine my lady; let’s get you some morning fuel before debunking that hunk-a-junk.”

Rosaline smiles softly in thanks, and slips her petite feet into a pair of baby-blue fluffy grandma slippers.

The two girls slip downstairs, where they get started on making some breakfast. Rosaline takes charge in preparing coffee, her movements sluggish and sloppy. Jay on the other hand, is more awake then the ginger; her movements are precise and smooth.

Feeling bad for such a rude awakening, Jay puts herself up to the task of making some comfort food for her dear friend. Sliding over to the fridge, she peruses the shelves for what they brought from the town just half an hour out from the cabin. Drumming two fingers against her chin, her fierce blue eyes calculate what fits best together. With a firm nod, she pulls out some eggs, butter, bacon, and a few other odds and ends.

Pancakes; with a hint of vanilla, throwing in some fresh blueberries into the batter, a dash of cinnamon. Jay sets out two pans onto the stove, and begins to heat them up, dropping in half a tablespoon of butter in one of them.

She put the bacon into the pan without butter, once they have both reached their desired temperatures. Cooking was a passion that Jay enjoyed, aside from mythology and history. She enjoyed putting in the time and care, to create something that others will enjoy; her biggest fan being Rosaline of course.

Speaking of the devil, the ginger tiredly rests her chin on the other’s shoulder, and lazily wraps her arms around the others stomach, in a loose hug. Jay grins idiotically to herself; had it been ten years ago, she would have pushed Rose away without even batting an eye. She’d never been a touchy person in the past; felt uncomfortable with others being in her personal bubble. Rosaline was the only acceptation, because the two of them had been through thick and thin together, and Jay gradually learned to accept the ginger into her personal space; that and the fact that there wasn’t much choice. Rosaline was just a physically affectionate person; the girl would always put herself in another’s personal space.

Jay let out a huff of mock annoyance, and stared to the girl’s face from the corner of her eye.

“Can I help you flower child?” She asks softly, poking at the bacon with a fork, and flipping a pancake. Rosaline tiredly shakes her head, and stays silent for a moment.

“Nah. . . I’m just glad you’ve stuck around me for so many years, I just want to wrap around you, and protect you from all the nasty mean people in the world.” Rosaline mumbles with her eyes closed, her weight leaning onto Jay a little.

“Well, you did pledge your undying loyalty to me. I’d expect nothing less from someone as caring.” Jay pats the side of Rosaline’s head, causing the girl to jump awake more. Rosaline retreats to the coffee machine as it begins to gurgle-announcing that it’s ready.

The ginger pulls out two mugs from the cupboard, one black, and one sky blue. Pouring the black liquid into the mugs, she measures out the preferred amounts of sugar and cream, stirring with a teaspoon. She slides the blue cup towards Jay, and puts the teaspoon into the sink.

Holding her own mug with two hands, she takes a small sip, humming out blissfully. Rosaline leans her back into the counter, closing her eyes as she lets the liquid burn down her throat.

“Sweet, blue mug! You chose the black one?” Jay says, a stack of pancakes and bacon beginning to form gradually. Rosaline hums from her second sip of coffee, pulling the mug from her lips.

“Black like my soul.” The ginger smiles, her golden eyes studying Jay’s reaction. The girl lets out a half-hearted laugh, moving the empty bacon pan to the back burner, and turning the front one off.

“Hah, that’s edgy! . . . U-unless your serious.” Jay looks up from flipping a pancake, glancing to her right at Rosaline. The ginger snorts tiredly, and shakes her head; messy hair still sticking up messily.

“No, I don’t think so at least. . . It was just the second biggest mug, other than that blue one I gave you.” She states, tapping her fingers against her mug. Rosaline stares off to the distance, puffing out her left cheek. “While it’s easier for me to read others, and predict something about an environment they will be subjected to. . . It’s a lot fuzzier to try and read myself. I have less control over it I think. . .”

Rosaline looks back to her friend, with a soft smile. Jay can see that there is a hint of sadness tugging at the corner of the girl’s eyes, or is it worries?

“I only get small random hints, gut feelings maybe. I don’t realize what those feelings mean, until I get a sense of Deja-vu. . . And right now, I have a bad feeling. . .”

Jay turns off the stove, picking up the two plates, and walks them over to the table. Rosaline follows, scooping up utensils with her free hand, with the handle of Jay’s untouched mug. She sets down Jay’s mug with her plate, and takes her place at the table next to Jay. Passing her a fork and knife, Rosaline sets her own down, and looks at the plate of pancakes and bacon before her.

She’s hungry, she knows that for sure. But hunger isn’t the only feeling eating away at her stomach; it’s also the dread from her dream. She fidgets uncomfortable in her seat, and takes to silently sipping her coffee.

Slipping by the fridge, Jay opens the door, and pulls out a bottle of maple syrup. Kicking the door shut, she slips into her own seat at the table, and holds the bottle out to Rosaline.

“I had a feeling something was up, you were giving off some weird funk this morning. Did you have a bad dream?” Jay asks softly, the bottle being accepted with soft thanks.

“I think so. After I woke up, I knew that whatever bad feeling I am having was from a dream.” Rosaline munches on some bacon, closing her eyes and relaxing in her seat. The food was working wonders for her nerves.

“I see, well we shouldn’t push it aside. Knowing you, it might be an important feeling. And since we’ve got here, any feeling could be an important sign.” A small smirk grows into Jay’s face, poking her fingers into Rose’s side in a playful attack. “After all, you are our equivalent to a spooky metal detector.”

Rosaline groans softly at her friend’s antics, and can’t help the smile creeping onto her face.

“Gee thanks, glad to know I’m such a tool.” She snorts softly, and reaches across the table for the flip phone.

Jay’s eye’s follow Rose’s line of action, and gets giddy in her seat.

“Yes! Mystery phone time!“ She cries, and begins shoveling pancake into her mouth, speaking in a muffled voice, “Spill the beans phone! We want your secrets!”

Rosaline cringes a bit, giving Jay a scolding side glance. Flipping through the contacts, she flips the cursor to flip between the names ‘FartMaster’ and ‘Paps’.

“These are the two with any sent messages. I will give you the honor of choosing our first option.” Rosaline freezes her fidgeting with the phone, and holds it out for Jay to peer down at the screen.

“Pfff, ‘FartMaster’ obviously. This clown has to have some good messages.” She says with a full mouth, receiving another cringe from Rose.

Regardless, Rosaline selected ‘FartMaster’ and scrolled the screen all the way to the beginning. From what they read, exchanging jokes was the primary function between the owner of the phone, and this ‘FartMaster’, ranging from ‘knock knock’ jokes, to simple pun laced conversation. The recent messages however, weren’t so fun loving and playful. They were more serious.

**-FartMaster-**

***see you’ve returned kid, it’s been a while**

***strange seeing you around, looks like you haven’t changed a bit**

***lose your cellphone kid? Or you too cool for this ol’ bag of bones**

***heh, you sure have been busy. . .**

***if you really are reading these messages, i want to send a clear message to you**

***if you keep this up, we’re going to have ourselves a _bad time_ kid**

***i’ve warned you kid, guess you’ve really made your mind up**

Jay crinkles up her nose a little, and then exchanges a look with Rosaline. “Looks like FartMaster ran out of jokes… Seems like who ever owned this phone got on bad terms with this guy huh?”

Rosaline nods her head lightly, and bites her lower lip. There appears to be no service where they are, so it’s strange that texts were reaching the cellphone at all.

“Should we message FartMaster?” The question slipped out of Rosaline’s lips before she could properly think them through, the question even startled Jay a little.

Thinking for a moment, Jay shrugs her shoulders with indifference. “I can’t see the harm in it, we could figure out who they are, and maybe who owns the phone. . . No service might be a problem though. . .” She says with a huff.

“Well, we can send a message, and take it with us when we go to explore the mountain. Maybe we can catch some service and help send the message through.” Rosaline says thoughtfully, it made some sense, service was always spotty up in the wilderness. Jay nods in agreement, the plan seemed to make since to them too.

“What kind of message should we send them young master?” Rosaline says playfully, ghosting her fingers along the buttons of the phones pad. Jay hums softly.

“Well, we could be direct, or play by this guy’s tune? Im feeling a ‘knock knock’ joke could be satisfying.” Jay crosses her arms, nodding her head firmly.

Rosaline begins pressing away on the phone, and presses send.  It felt strange talking to a stranger on someone’s phone, but it was for the sake of solving a mystery.

“Right, message sent. Shall we take a looksie at this ‘Paps’ chum?” Rosaline says softly, backing out of ‘FartMaster’s messages, and bringing the cursor over ‘Paps’ contact.

“No crime to continue invading this privacy, right?” Jay says, smiling wide. The phone in Rose’s hand vibrates, signaling the most impossible answer. The two girls look to the phone, as though it just sprouted legs and arms. They then exchange their shocked expressions.

“Did it….” Jay begins.

“. . . Yeah. . .” Rosaline answers, almost reluctantly.

“But. . . There’s no service here. . .” Jay cringes, looking around for a possible perpetrator, maybe someone pulling a prank.

Rosaline runs a hand down her face, groaning softly “I know. . .” She looks down at the phone with dread. “Should we, answer it? I wasn’t expecting a reply so soon. . .”

Jay lets out a deep sigh, before slowly nodding her head. “We started this, so we have to finish this.”

Rosaline shivers a little, before opening ‘FartMaster’s’ contact, relieved to see that nothing scary has happened so far. Rather normal actually. . .

**-FartMaster-**

***Knock Knock**

*** . . . who’s there?**

Rosaline takes in an anxious breath, then types in a reply.

***Ida**

The replies seems to be coming in without much delay, Jay is sitting at the edge of her seat, watching with anticipation.

***ida who?**

***Ida ask you the same thing, says here that you are ‘FartMaster’?**

There is a bit of a pause after Rosaline sends the message. Rosaline looks over to Jay with worry, who gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Rose begins to type again, wanting to elaborate on what she had sent, but a message from FartMaster halts her actions.

***heh, yeah, that’d be right.**

***i take it that you aren’t the kid?**

***would you be a pall and tell me where you found the kid’s phone?**

Rosaline bites her lower lip, and nods her head. Remembering that it’s only Jay who can see her, she begins to actually reply.

***Yes! Of course!**

***I found this phone hidden in my family’s cabin.**

***that’s hilarious, guess the kid really did lose their phone.**

***mind telling me where you are? I can pop by and take it off your hands.**

Rosaline looks to Jay for her input, to which she shrugs like a true intellectual.

“I guess FartGuy can come by? We could ask them questions about who owns the phone.” Jay says thoughtfully. Rosaline nods in agreement, and turns her attention back to steering the conversation.

***I don’t see why not?**

***My friend and I are at a cabin just outside town, in the woods.**

There is yet another pause from ‘FartMaster’ before they reply.

***i’ve been in and around these woods a lot; I don’t recall seeing any cabins?**

Rosaline hums softly to herself, and begins typing.

***The roads are a little confusing to follow, I myself have always gotten lost when getting to the cabin.**

***If it helps, it’s near the foot of the mountain, that is if we are talking about the same woods.**

There is another long pause in the exchange of replies. Rose sets the phone down on the table, and takes in a deep breath.

“This is just… weird; I feel weird texting a stranger on a mystery phone Jay.” Rose fiddles with her fingers.

Jay picks up the phone, taking her chance to look through the messages. “No kidding Rose. It’s a spooky phone you found with only your weirdness, it all feels strange.” Just as Jay finishes speaking, another message comes in. She passes the phone back to Rosaline, wanting to keep the texts consistent.

***foot of the mountain?**

***huh**

***that’s interesting.**

***guess i’ll have to take a raincheck on that kid, im _buried_ under some personal issues here.**

***Oh geeze, sorry to hear that.**

***Sorry if I caught you at a bad time.**

***heh, yeah, you could say that.**

***don’t worry though kid, you’ve done nothin’ wrong.**

***hey, mind if i get a name of the mystery messenger?**

***might as well know who this is, since we have each other’s contact?**

Rose looks to Jay with a question on her face; she knew she didn’t have to ask for permission, it was more for reassurance from an outside source. Jay smile’s wide, nodding her head eagerly.

“Yes! Ask for their name too! That way we can at least have one mystery solved.”

Rosaline ponders her friend’s statement for a moment, turning back to the phone. “Yes, we should make this an equal exchange.”

***Sure beans friend**

***Though, I’d also like to know your name. That way one mystery can be scratched off the growing list of mysteries.**

***mystery list huh?**

***alright, i’ll bite.**

***the name’s sans**

***Sans? Hehe, that’s a great name. I’m Rosaline, and my partner in crime is Jay.**

***rosaline huh? Nice to meet’cha bud, heh.**

***hope your mystery huntin’ goes well, i’d be glad to help if i can, always love a good puzzle.**

Rosaline smiles a bit, realizing that she has made a possibly ally to their mystery solving cause.

“Okay, so this Sans person says they would be down to help out in any way they can?” Jay asks as she leans close to read the message, Rosaline nods in response.

“I believe so, though I don’t think they will be able to help with much. Other than notifying us on who owned this phone I believe.” Rosaline pulls her feet up onto the chair, crossing her legs.

***Really? That would be sweet!**

***The majority of the mystery is a bit of garbled information, Jay and I aren’t sure if any of our information holds truth, but it’s still fun to follow fantasy breadcrumbs, and find what bits of information to my grandfather’s story to be true.**

***fantasy story eh? sounds like something fun to pass time, you’re really selling me on this bud.**

***Its honestly silly if you ask me, but it’s our passion :P**

***I won’t go into the gritty details, but if you could let me know who owns this phone, it might help put some pieces together here.**

***heh, that thing you did there was interesting**

***sure, i’ll tell ya. it belongs to a kid, i’ve known them for a long time. they’d been gone for a while, guess they lost their phone in your cabin?**

***I guess so? It’s weird, because no one but my family has used this cabin, and it was stashed away in a secret wall hole.**

***heh, maybe the wall was trying to leave a message? to tell the other wall to meet them at the corner.**

Jay lost her shit at that moment, slapping her hand onto the table and howling out in laughter. Rosaline puffed out her cheeks, trying really hard not to smile.

“Jesus you two . . . One of you was too many.” Rosaline huffs out, fingers typing away; two can play at that.

***Oh for the love of Cheese! Not two of you!**

***two? Why cheese?**

***Because your joke was gouda, and now I have to deal with a howling banshee!**

Rosaline receives a slap to the shoulder by Jay, who is still tearing up. The joke wasn’t even that fantastic, it was just a surprise. Jay was taking more joy through the fact that now Rosaline was sandwiched between two clowns. Another text was received after a bit of a pause.

***oh you flatter me bud, i’ve been told that I’m quite sharp~**

***Please Sans, have mercy on my poor soul**

***right, alright. i’ll let you off the hook pal**

***say, could you keep in touch? the offer to help a little still stands, im genuinely curious.**

***Sure thing Snas!**

***Oof, that was a typo, I’m not use to this old thing.**

***s’no worries, i have to go, catch you later Rosaline**

***You to FartMaster.**

Rosaline closes the phone, and sets it down gently. Taking in a deep breath, she lets out a deep groan.  “Jokes should be illegal!” She cries out softly, receiving a playful jab in the ribs by Jay.

“Oh shaddap, and finish your breakfast. You and I both know that your mood has improved significantly from this new encounter!” Jay smirks, finishing her breakfast since she didn’t have her hands busy.

“It did, and I want to say I hate it. . . Though San’s saying that this phone being owned by a kid friend of his . . . that didn’t help a whole lot. . .” She sighs, and digs into her pancakes with more energy than she had earlier.

Meeting this strange comedian through a strangers lost phone, not the strangest thing to happen to the girls, but it’s up there. Thinking about the kid who owned the phone however, were they some kind of runaway? Or was ‘kid’ just some kind of nickname? Sans did refer to Rose a ‘kid’ too, so it wouldn’t be far off. And what reason would this stranger have to hide their phone in someone else’s cabin? And how exactly did the text get through to Sans, where there wasn’t even any service?

“Weird. . .” Rosaline mumbles to herself, polishing off her breakfast plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D


	4. Cracking Beneath The Surface

His eye lights stare up at the ceiling of his bedroom, woken up from another one of his nightmares, cold sweats running down his skull.

How long has it been? Since everything in the underground became so bleak and hopeless?

Sans sits up in his bed, and swings his legs off the edge, rubbing his hands over the front of his face.

Too long, too many years since the kid left the underground, and left all the monsters with little hope of getting out.

They weren’t a bad kid per-say, but they weren’t a saint either. After getting to the underground, Frisk had escaped HOME, defeating its guardian in order to leave and enter Snowdin. It was only in Snowdin, after meeting Papyrus and him, which the kid made an effort to not dust every single monster they came into an encounter with.

But many still fell to the kids hands; monsters who were set on their encounter and were relentless on cornering the kid, who felt as though fighting was then their only option.

Toriel, Undyne, Mettaton, King Asgore and quite a few monster bystanders; all dusted. Frisk had used the six souls to get out of the underground. We’ve done our best to keep our hopes up, but with no leaders, and with no other options left to break the barrier; that hope begins to trickle.

He and Paps tried to stay in touch with the kid, since they still had their phone with them when they surfaced. The kid however, didn’t seem to reply as often after a while, and eventually there was nothing but radio silence.

Sans sighed as he stood from his bed, and grabbed his blue hoodie, slipping it and his slippers on, before leaving his room.

He figured the kid either stopped caring, or just lost their phone. It’s not like he could blame them, they had a life after all. It did feed to his indifferent opinion of them however.

Leaving the warmth of his and Papyrus’ home, he welcomed the cool air of frozen landscape he called home.

His feet crunched against the snow as he walked, his breath plumed into the cold air. On nights that he has nightmares, he finds that a good walk in the cold calms his nerves. He could go to Grillby’s, and add to his ever growing tab, but tonight he just wasn’t feelin it.

He had a lot on his mind, and he felt that the cold air, and the slow pace would help collect his thoughts, he had too much to worry about right now.

A familiar buzz in the pocket of his shorts vibrated, sounding that he has received a text message. Fishing into his pocket, he began to speculate to himself.

Papyrus was really the only one who contacts him on his phone, and usually it’s through immediate call. It wasn’t unheard of for Papyrus to leave a simple text, when he was beyond busy. The only other person he’d recall texting him was the kid, but he’s since pushed the idea out of his head.

Flipping open his phone, he fiddles with it, to open up his contact’s list. His soul aches, as he scrolled many many of the contacts that he won’t be receiving from. His feet don’t bother stopping until his eye lights land on the recent contact in his inbox. Metaphorical heart dropping into his metaphorical stomach, his breath hitches.

‘kid’ has send a message into his inbox. Of all the times they could message him, they’ve waited this long?

“speak of the fucking devil. . .” Sans mumbles to himself, he has half the non-existent hear t to just shove the phone into his pocket, and leave the message on ‘unread’, but there are so many questions burning through his mind, so many things he want to ask, like ‘ _why?_ ’.

Sans takes in a breath, even though he doesn’t really need it, but it helps sooth his soul down a bit. Now’s a better time than ever, to get his burning questions answered, now that the kid has finally decided to rear their head back.

He opens the contact.

And . . .

It’s a ‘knock knock’ opening?

Sans holds himself from rolling the pinpricks in his sockets. As much as he is a fan of jokes, the kid has some nerve to pop back in all chummy. But no, he wants answers. So he’ll just have to play along, and not get them to run off before he can get his thoughts cleared.

So much for a relaxing walk, huh?

*** . . . who’s there?**

***Ida**

***ida who?**

***Ida ask you the same thing, says here that you are ‘FartMaster’?**

“s’cuse me?. . .” San’s asks out loud, he can tell from the way this person’s writing, it’s different from the kid’s. They used more shortened wording, definitely not this stranger. Sans feels his emotions calm a bit, so they weren’t the kid, he somehow felt relieved?

***heh, yeah, that’d be right.**

***i take it that you aren’t the kid?**

***would you be a pall and tell me where you found the kid’s phone?**

There were only two options he could think, since it was a complete stranger texting Sans on the phone. Either it was another human up on the surface who stumbled upon it, or it was a monster somewhere in the underground, which just didn’t recognize the contact name.

***Yes! Of course!**

***I found this phone hidden in my family’s cabin.**

***that’s hilarious; guess the kid really did lose their phone.**

***mind telling me where you are? I can pop by and take it off your hands.**

Right, so this stranger did happen to find it. He kept the key word ‘cabin’ in mind, there were a lot of those in Snowdin, and a few others around the underground he could think of.

***I don’t see why not?**

***My friend and I are at a cabin just outside town, in the woods.**

Right, in the woods? So it’d have to be somewhere outside of Snowdin, in the woods. . .

***i’ve been in and around these woods a lot, I don’t recall seeing any cabins?**

He could always be wrong, there were sometimes changes going on in the underground, and it has been a while since he’s done in patrols.

***The roads are a little confusing to follow, I myself have always gotten lost when getting to the cabin.**

Alright, so there is a road somewhere leading to it. He’d just have to keep his sickets peele-

***If it helps, It’s near the foot of the mountain, that is if we are talking about the same woods.**

“hehe, nope. . . definitely can’t happen. . .” Sans sighs to himself, it was funny to be talking to a complete human stranger. What’s funnier is the human most definitely have no idea they’re talking to a monster.

***foot of the mountain?**

***huh**

***that’s interesting.**

***guess i’ll have to take a raincheck on that kid, im _buried_ under some personal issues here.**

***Oh geeze, sorry to hear that.**

***Sorry if I caught you at a bad time.**

***heh, yeah, you could say that.**

“hehe, human, you have noo idea.” Sans chuckles to himself.

***don’t worry though kid, you’ve done nothin’ wrong.**

***hey, mind if i get a name of the mystery messenger?**

***might as well know who this is, since we have each other’s contact?**

Sans pauses after hitting sent. What was he thinking? Getting chummy with a human he doesn’t know. Sure, they have the kid’s phone, and they are at the foot of _‘the mountain’_ , they could be at any of the billion mountains they have on the surface and not this one in particular.

But dammit, why does he feel so hopeful? . . . Hope huh?

***Sure beans friend**

***Though, I’d also like to know your name. That way one mystery can be scratched off the growing list of mysteries.**

***mystery list huh?**

Sans found that he was leaning against a tree off the side of the path, losing himself to the conversation with this stranger.

***alright, i’ll bite.**

***the name’s sans**

***Sans? Hehe, that’s a great name. I’m Rosaline, and my partner in crime is Jay.**

***rosaline huh? Nice to meet’cha bud, heh.**

***hope your mystery huntin’ goes well, i’d be glad to help if i can, always love a good puzzle.**

He couldn’t help himself but offer, this kind of distraction would do wonders for him. He realized there would be small pauses between some of the texts, and wondered if maybe this Rosaline was talking with their friend Jay? The thought of two people huddled together to converse with him was almost flattering, even if they’d probably never meet in person.

***Really? That would be sweet!**

***The majority of the mystery is a bit of garbled information, Jay and I aren’t sure if any of our information holds truth, but it’s still fun to follow fantasy breadcrumbs, and find what bits of information to my grandfather’s story to be true.**

***fantasy story eh? Sounds like something fun to pass time; you’re really selling me on this bud.**

“most humans don’t even realize just how much of their ‘fantasy’ is actually real.” Sans thinks, “it’d be a kick to see the looks on their faces, heh”

***Its honestly silly if you ask me, but it’s our passion :P**

***I won’t go into the gritty details, but if you could let me know who owns this phone, it might help put some pieces together here.**

***heh, that thing you did there was interesting**

“colon and a capital ‘p’, makes a little face.  . . cool.” Sans says, smiling to himself. Shoving his right hand into his pocket, he texts back with his free left hand.

***sure, i’ll tell ya. it belongs to a kid, i’ve known them for a long time. they’d been gone for a while, guess they lost their phone in your cabin?**

***I guess so? It’s weird, because no one by my family has used this cabin, and it was stashed away in a secret wall hole.**

***heh, maybe the wall was trying to leave a message? to tell the other wall to meet them at the corner.**

Sans grins wide, a genuine, wide smile that reaches his eye sockets. It’s been so long since he’s smiled like this; talking to these strangers was a real breath of fresh air, a new perspective.

There’s quite a bit of a pause for Rosaline’s reply, Sans finds himself imagining what the reactions of the two humans, now that he’s unloading his arsenal to two sets of fresh eyes. Almost a little anxious as the radio silence carries on for a few seconds, he breathes out as a new message is thrown his way.

***Oh for the love of Cheese! Not two of you!**

***two? Why cheese?**

Sans ponders these two conundrums, two? So the human Jay was also a comedian? Where does the cheese fall into all this? Sans narrows his sockets at his phone as the new message is sent in.

***Because your joke was gouda, and now I have to deal with a howling banshee!**

Sans audibly snorts at this, trying to imagine what exactly the ‘banshee’ would sound like, but also the fact that he was served an unexpected pun by this stranger. He leans his head back against the tree he’s leaning on, and chuckles a bit. The pun wasn’t the funnies thing, but it was still unexpected, and he appreciated it.

Sans looks back down to his phone, and begins to text back.

***oh you flatter me bud, i’ve been told that I’m quite sharp~**

***Please Sans, have mercy on my poor soul**

“SAAAAAANS!” A loud yell can be heard off in the distance, causing the skeleton to sigh. Guess the fun was over.

For now.

***right, alright. i’ll let you off the hook pal**

***say, could you keep in touch? the offer to help a little still stands, im genuinely curious.**

He was being genuinely honest with both the stranger and himself. He’d like to stay in contact with Rosaline and Jay, they seemed like a swell pair, and it would really help keep his hopes up.

***Sure thing Snas!**

***Oof, that was a typo, I’m not use to this old thing.**

“SAAAANS! WHERE ARE YOU LAZYBONES?” Distant sounds of feet crunching snow, Papyrus would soon reach his location, so he’d better wrap up the conversation.

***s’no worries, i have to go, catch you later Rosaline**

***You to FartMaster.**

“ ***snrk*** ” Sans snorts at the reminder, he hoped the name would be changed to something more fitting, not that the silly name bothered him.

Speaking of name changes; Sans opens up the contact settings and begins to change the contact name. After all, the kid’s phone was in someone else’s possession now, so there was no real need to keep the name.

Tapping a phalange against his mandible, he thinks of something quick, with his brother approving fast. He chuckles to himself as he hits ‘complete’ with the setting change; **‘RoseBud’** was now his new contact.

“THERE YOU ARE SANS! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus exasperates, as he finally approaches, towering over Sans.

“hey bro, I’m just on break. you’d be proud, I made new friends today” San’s says, flipping his phone closed and casually sticking it into his sweater pockets with his hands.

Papyrus lets out a soft sigh, placing his gloved hands on the sides of his pelvis.

“I'M GLAD THAT YOU’VE MADE NEW FRIEND’S BROTHER, THEY MIGHT JUST HELP BRIGHTEN YOU UP MORE.” Papyrus says with genuine worry in his voice, before taking on an ‘authoritative’ voice once more.

“BUT HOWEVER! DEAR BROTHER, AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I CANNOT HAVE YOU BOONDOGGLING!” Papyrus stays in a stern voice, there is no anger behind it though, still laced with worry.

Sans lets off a small shrug, and leans off the tree, standing up straighter. “don’t worry bro, i’ll start putting a bit more backbone into my work. after all, i feel a bit more motivated already.”

Papyrus lets out exaggerated groan, throwing his hands up to his face.

“PLEASE BROTHER, TAKE THINGS MORE SERIOUSLY! I'VE BEEN HEARING RUMORS ABOUT HOW THERE IS A POTENTIAL HUMAN WANDERING AROUND THE UNDERGROUND.” The taller skeleton states, before stomping off in the direction he came from.

Sans’ smile strains, as he watches Papyrus’s form shrink off. He runs a hand down his face with a groan.

“i know bro, that’s what’s got me worried. . .” Sans sighs to himself, and slowly drags himself off in the same direction as Papyrus.  As the short skeletons walks, his movements are always on edge; his pinpricks never staying in one place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (/._.)/ [INSERT MEGALOVANIA HERE]


	5. Save It For A Rainy Day

They fished around the contact a bit more, finding that all the contacts were familiar with the owner of the phone, and the contacts had some relative knowledge of each other. Other than ‘Goat Mama’, who only sent calls through, there were no leads on if this person has any connection with anyone. With further inspection, it’s clear that ‘Paps’ is Sans’ brother, which he literally states it in some older messages.

After breakfast, the two girls get changed out of their pajamas and put on warmer cloths. Correction: Jay changes into new cloths, Rosaline puts on pants, and changes shirts.

Jay holds back rolling her eyes at the ginger’s lack of fucks, but holds admiration in the same; she was the proclaimed queen of going against social norms after all. The partially shorter girl approaches the ginger and slings her arm over their shoulder, leaning into them as they inspect what they’re up to.

Rosaline is grumbling as she stares out the second floor window, adjacent to the stairs going down. It had begun to start raining that morning, soiling their plans to go hiking up the mountain to hunt for any spooky or magical leads. Rose throws her head back, and lets out a throaty groan.

“Now what are we going to do? We came out here to do outside things; I’d suplex mother nature if given the chance . . . bipolar twat. .“ The ginger huffs in annoyance. Her once tame hair was once again frizzled, due to the raise in humidity.

Jay snickers as she flicks at stray locks sticking out of place on the other’s head, while thinking of what they should do to fill their now open schedule. Her captivation to flicking the curl is broken when Rosaline turns her head, giving Jay a faux-glare.

“Guess I’ll have to do some baking. . . I’m bored.” Rosaline states matter of fact. Giving Jay a playful poke in the ribs, she sticks her tongue out while she wiggles her eyebrows.

Jay recoils from the sudden contact, and thinks better to get upset, since her mouth begins to water at the mention of sweets.

“PLEASE, I BEG YOU-OH SWEET QUEEN OF PAISTRIES!” Jay demands rather than pleads. She grabs Rose’s hand, shaking it as though she were a spoilt child trying to bug their parent, “pleaaaase! You haven’t baked for me since you last slept over at my apartment!” Jay says, giving her friend the puppy eyes.

Rosaline puffs up her cheeks, and releases the built up hair, then looks off to the side as though she were considering the proposal, before giving a lazy shrug of her shoulders.

“I already offered it you dweeb, I need to let off some steam anyway.” Rosaline states simply, giving a crooked grin, “Besides, I want to keep my hand busy if we’re going to be holed up in the cabin for today.”

Jay gives her friend’s hand a firm squeeze, offering a gentle knowing smile. “Alright flower child! While you do that, I’ll be on puzzle duty! The mysterious notes aren’t going to make connections themselves!” Jay says in a soft tone, and begins tugging Rosaline’s hand.

Descending the stairs, the two girls split ways; Jay continuing straight towards the lounge, and Rose turning right towards the kitchen.

While Rosaline took to immediately taking out ingredients and evaluating what she would be throwing together, Jay dove onto the sofa, and touched EVERY single paper note there was to offer.

While skimming over the fantastic notes, Jay would shift her gaze up towards the kitchen ever so often. It wasn’t that Rosaline disliked rainy days; it was that she had too much energy for her own good. Jay let out a sigh in worry.

‘I’ve known her for what, nine-ten years? She doesn’t like it when I baby her. . . But I still worry.’ Jay thinks, leaning back on the couch. Raising her right foot to rest on the couch, she hugs the knee close to her chest, staring off in the direction of clanking pans and bowls.

‘I wish I could help in some way-for her to _let_ me help. .  .’ Jay scratches her cheek, letting her eyes wander around the room.  It was only a fraction smaller than the kitchen; there were two lazy-boys facing the fire place to her left, with a small round table between them. There were some old family photos on the walls; even one with the original family who build the cabin. Jay really liked the photos’ they held some historical value.

Letting her eyes wander a bit more, they eventually fell to the flip phone on the coffee table before her. She lets out a grumble, letting her chin rest on her knee as she her gaze narrows.

‘Rose isn’t the only one who’s having a rough time. . Our confidant said he was buried under some . . . stuff? Responsabilities, maybe?’ She ponders. Her free hand snakes over to the phone and flips it open, and starts re-reading the conversations they had with Sans.

‘Well if I am refused help from Rose, then I can at least feel more useful by helping improve _someone’s_ mood.’

***Hey FartMaster, tis Jay, how goes it?**

***hey kid, just _chillin._ what brings you to my perch?**

Jay snorts softly, and turns to lie down on the sofa while she texts.

***Not a lot in particular, I wanted to see how you were doing.**

***If I recall, you said something along the lines of being ‘buried’ under a few problems.**

***kid you’ve got no idea, six feet deep and going; work’s pretty _beak_ around here.**

***Haha! Sorry to hear that, I did not mean to _preen_ the subject~**

Jay giggles like a mad-woman, finally someone she can properly duel with through word play!

***nah, s’okay, it wouldn’t _fowl_ my mood any, I’m feeling quite _chirp-_ er actualy.**

Jay nearly rolls off the sofa, snorting like a doofus with how much she’s enjoying herself. However, she cannot let herself stray from the initial task at hand. Sitting herself up, she taps her chin in thought.

***Back-peddling a bit, I was hoping to raise your spirits a little, from whatever job it is you are occupied with.**

***awe shucks budgy, you flatter this ol’ bag o’ bones with your worry~**

Jay shrugs her shoulders, leaning back against the couch. Turning her head just over her shoulder, she sees the rain dripping down the window behind the sofa, getting an idea.

***If I am being frank, I am doing this more as a selfish means.**

***what’s being selfish got to do with frank? he’s a cool guy!**

Jay slaps a hand over her face, letting out a howl of laughter, her fingers furiously texting away.

***You know what I mean wise-guy! I am helping you partially because the flower child refuses to let me comfort her.**

***She is too selfless for her own good!**

***Therefore! You shall be at the butt-end of my charity!**

There is a pause for a few minutes. In this time, Rosaline pokes her head out of the kitchen, giving Jay a crooked look.

“What’s got you into bein’ a lil’ giggly bitch in here? Ooooh . . .” Rosaline starts. Her quirked brow knits together with the other, giving Jay a steely stare. “I swear to Jimmy, the two of you are insufferable” Rosaline scoffs, there was no bite to her bark however; her cold expression not matching her warm honey eyes.

Just as Jay open’s her mouth to reply, Rosaline nopes the hell back into the kitchen, already knowing where Jay was going to go with her reply. “I’m making lunch too while I’m in here! Call if you need anything!” She states, leaving no room for a continued conversation.

Jay huffs, closing her mouth, looking down at the cellphone; she sees that a reply has been sent in by Sans.

***flower child? ya mean rosaline?**

***Yes, she was looking forward to exploring the woods today. However, the weather outside has ruined these plans.**

Jay slips from the sofa, and wanders out of the lounge, and out the front door. The wrap-around porch thankfully had a cover parallel to it, leaving it safe from the rain. She pads her way to a cushioned outdoor love seat, and plops her booty down.

***oh, hope she isn’t _willow_ -ing over it. you two should be careful wandering around the woods though**

***Do not worry your pretty little head over it! Rosaline may have the direction sense of a fish with one fin, but she has her own talents of navigating these woods. That and she grew up a country bumpkin.**

***GETTING BACK ON TRACK HOWEVER!**

***geeze budgy, no need to ruffle your feathers over it.**

***Silence funny man! I am here to brighten your day! I won’t take no as an answer!**

***. . . should i be worried here?**

***Hardly, unless you have some form of ombrophobia.**

***huh?**

Rather than answer, Jay closes out of the contacts and navigates through the cellphone to its camera. Hitting record, she pans the view of the soaked forest from her position. She then gets up to get a better view and sound of the rain.

“Sometimes when you are feeling unhappy with something, sometimes listening to a calming sound can brighten your mood. The rain is symbolic; it washes away all the worries and grime off all the leaves in the forest.” Jay narrates, leaning over the railing of the porch, and steadying the phone in her hand.

She is silent for a moment, letting the sounds of the forest take her place. Rain drops hitting the tin roof above her, hitting the leaves on the trees just after the clearing of the property, calls of a distant turtle dove can be faintly heard.

Jay lets the video end there, and lets out a soft huff. Gee, way to get all sappy and smooth about some stinkin’ rain.

Softly grumbling to herself, she opens up the contacts list again. She scurries back into the cabin to avoid getting a chill from the cool air outside, and sends the short two minute video to Sans. Was it weird to send the video to a complete stranger, who she knows nothing about?

Strangely, she didn’t really care, she felt proud of herself. She settled back down on the sofa, and breathed in deep through her nose.  The air smelt sweet, chocolaty even! YES!

Jay feels her stomach grumble as she continues to savor the fragrance of what was baking. Looking back down at the phone, she saw that Sans has sent a ‘kid?’ message before sending her video. Guess it was strange that she went radio silent without warning.

Oh well~

Knowing that the comedian will take a few minutes to watch the video, she sets the phone down, and starts going over the notes again. There was always one question running through her head as she compared different notes.

What do souls do? What’s so important about them? Why are they so frequently mentioned? Sure, they are the culmination of one’s being, they are connected to one’s attributes, blah blah. She was drawing blanks when reading that they. . . Stored information on someone’s. . . EXP? LV?

Dah heck?

“Oh, yes, it’s all clear to me now.” Jay says with mock clarity, “Life is obviously a videogame! I of course have lots of Experience, and a high Level to boot!” Jay laughs sarcastically, before slumping over.

‘Maybe these notes really are . . . geese. . . I was truly half hoping for some of these leads to hold some reality, but throwing in these terms really makes this all seem like a child’s game. . .’

The cellphone on the coffee table vibrates in notification, startling Jay out of her thoughts.  Setting down a few papers, Jay feels more fixated on the conversation she’s having with her new pun buddy.

Wait. . . Buddy. . . Budgy . .

Well played sir, well played.

***geeze kid. . . wow**

***i was not expecting a video, let alone one of the . . . outside.**

***Heh, you sound as though you live under a rock. Do you not go outside often?**

***you uh, you could say that yeah.**

***What a hermit! I hope the video worked as it was intended however :)**

***it did, really, thank you.**

Jay smiles, content that she cheered someone up. Though, she still wished that Rosaline would still let her help cheer her up. But if the girl wanted space to burn of steam, she would comply.

***It was my pleasure. I will be leaving you back to your job now, I do not want to get you in any trouble.**

***alright budgy, you _feather_ say hi to our _bud_ for me.**

***Will do, FartMaster.**

***stars, please change that name.**

***No promises ;)**

Jay closes the flip phone with a sigh, time well spent.

Getting herself up from the sofa, with phone in hand, Jay pads her way around the coffee table and into the kitchen; on a mission to deliver Sans’ message, as well as investigate what Rosaline has in store for lunch, and the sweets in promise.

Rosaline has her hair tied back, and a worn apron tied around her curvy frame. Her face is focused; brows furrowed, eyes narrow, tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth. Her hands work smoothly as she slices tomatoes.

Walking up from behind, Jay spies other various prepared items. Piecing them together, her heart nearly soars.

‘Oh, this girl is too good to me, even when she’s having a down day.’ Jay feels her own expression melt to something of admiration.

Jay slides up behind Rosaline, and gives her a strong hug from behind, leaning her forehead down against the others right shoulder. “You are too much Rose, really. What am I gonna do with you?” Jay jokes softly, pulling away to watch her friend from the side, bouncing on the pads of her feet excitedly.

Rosaline was preparing club sandwiches for them. The way she prepared them gave them a ‘home cooked meets rustic diner’ taste. While it was a simple lunch in idea, Rose knew damn well that Jay enjoyed her hearty sandwiches, the minx!

“What?” Rosaline drawls innocently, not raising her attention from the lunch prep, but tilts her head in recognition to holding the conversation.

“Don’t ‘what’ me you devil! You know what you’re doing!” Jay barks, leaning her side against the counter, and crossing her arms.

“Of course, I am preparing lunch.” Rosaline continues her act, assembling the sandwiches with the prepared condiments, meats, cheeses and vegetable’s. She adds some pepper before closing the two sandwiches.

“Don’t get _saucy_ with me woman! You know your sandwiches’ could make any grown man cry!” Jay scoffs, turning her head away, “I’m the only one who gets to enjoy your masterpieces! I can’t have competition!”

Rosaline hums in response, plating the sandwiches’ with a side of chips. Taking the plates, she turns and sets them on the table, going to retrieve a pair of glasses for their soft drinks. Before her hands can reach the cupboard however, Jay snatches them with her own, dragging her friend’s attention to her.

Getting on one knee, Jay firmly holds Rosaline’s hands staring up at her with her most serious expression. Rosaline stares down with a deadpan face.

“Rosaline Stewart, my offer still stands till this day.” Jay begins, piercing blue eyes dead-locked with the honey-gold pair. “Please, marry me. So that I may eat your sandwiches’ every day.”

Rosaline takes in a breath through her nose, and sighs out slowly.

“Oh, but young master, our love is forbidden. I am but a lowly servant tasked to serve under you.” Rosaline tilts her head to the side, a smile that could melt a glacier. “I can prepare you sandwiches’, regardless of being under wedlock.” She finishes, stating it as if it were the most obvious answer.

Jay throws her head back and lets out an exaggerated groan, “fiiiiiiiiiiine, have it your way woman!” She gets to her feet and takes a seat, eager to devour the unsuspecting sandwich.

The ginger laughs a little, and continues retrieving glasses for their soft drink, “for dessert, I have prepared Chocolate Danishes. They’re set under a cloth to keep warm, but also slightly cool.”

Another groan escapes Jay, as she throws her head back, “please! I’m begging you! Marry me Rose!”

“Heh, nah. I like watching you beg~” Rosaline snickers, taking a seat as she places down the glasses filled with Root Beer.  “Bon appétit ma belle ~”

“Ooh lala~ so fancy~” Jay snorts.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 “So, monster’s huh?” Jay states, tossing a piece of popcorn into the air; she aims her head to catch it in her mouth, but it falls onto her forehead.

“Monsters indeed.” Rosaline hums, pushing her reading glasses up, as she studies one of the many notes left behind by her great grandmother. The two girls are cozied up in pajamas; all cleaned up and ready for sleep, but have decided to do some more theorizing.

At least this time Rose is wearing pants.

“If these stories hold any truth, there should be thousands down there, right?” Jay continues, a second toss of another popcorn piece, it hits her cheek. She grumbles at the loss.

Rosaline nods her head, setting the book onto her lap. “Yes, all shapes and sizes. There are a few different kinds listed here-let’s see.” Rose begins, scanning the book on her lap.

“There’s aquatic, elemental, mammal-like, reptile, undead, or ‘other’? take your pick.” Rosaline lists off; looking up to Jay for her take.

Jay taps her chin, popping her lips as to draw her choice. “Stuck between, undead or mammal. . . Let’s try mammal first.” Jay nods to her decision.

Rosaline nods as well, and starts flipping through the notes, stopping as she finds the right section.

“Mammal-like monsters all vary in size and color, as well as ‘species’ of ‘animal’. From those that were encountered, there were dogs-“ Rosaline gets cut off by Jay screaming.

“Floofers! YESS! OH MY GOD YES- sorry. . .” Jay clears her throat, “p-please, do continue my lady.”

Rosaline spares Jay a playful, ‘unamused’ look, before continuing.

“There were dogs, rabbits, a tortoise, bipedal goats. . .” Rosaline pauses, feeling like there was something familiar about the mention of goats. . . She shrugs it off. “Cats, bears, and sooo much more. Hm, insightful.”

“Okay! Undead! Pleaaase undead! I need to know if there are vampires!” Jay wiggles excitedly.

“. . . Nerd.” Rosaline states, and flips through the pages. “While there are few, that isn’t to say they do not exist within the underground. From what I came into contact with, there are ghosts and skeletons.” Rose hums softly, “Awesome, we have ourselves some spooksters.”

Jay lightly huffs, “that list was very underwhelming.” She takes to eating her popcorn like a normal human being, Rose takes appreciation; less mess to pick up before bed.

Rosaline closes the book, having read it all three times over. She’s read everything three times over. She more or less was reading them to share with Jay, or to compare different notes, and see the consistencies. Tapping her fingers against the book, she has a thought.

“If there are monsters down under the mountain; they might be in a pretty poor position, huh?” Rosaline ponders, gently chewing her lower lip. Jay looks to her with an observant gaze, and then shrugs her shoulder.

“I’d think so too; their king was killed, their guard captain was killed, there were a few others mentioned there too. Some guards, some random monsters who ‘encountered’ her. With nowhere to go, and it’s been what, close to two centuries ago? If they haven’t adapted to it now, who’s to say they crumbled under pressure. . ” Jay winces at her words.

Rosaline leans her head back against the sofa, a tight feeling in her chest forming. She didn’t like the idea, that there were people trapped with nowhere to go, with little hope to their name. A portion of her hopes that these stories were just that; stories. She hoped that no one was put in such a dire situation.

Patting the book, Rose sits up, and begins to clear the table. Tomorrow should be a clear day, so the two of them would be hiking up the mountain for possible signs of any monster-y stuff, and to have some quality outdoor time.

“Right, well. I believe we should turn in for the night; we need to get some rest for the hike tomorrow. I won’t allow any more rain, Mother Nature can fight me.” Jay whines at her friend’s suggestion, even if she was feeling tired.

“But moooom, I don’t waaanaaaaa.” Jay stretches, and gets up regardless. She carries the empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen.

Finished with tidying the table, Rosaline picks up the flip phone, and inspects for any messages. There has been some activity from ‘FartMaster’. Rose rolls her eyes; she needs to change the horrible contact name. She was by far the worst at handing out names. Shrugging, she simply leaves it alone; best to leave the names to Jay.

***hey, what do you call ten rabbits hopping backwards through the snow together?**

***Gee, that’s a tough one Sans. Uhm, well organized?**

***ah, rose. close but no dice. its a receding hare line.**

***Darn, how’d you guess it was me?**

***would you believe me if i said magic?**

***Eh, probably, since apparently I’m actually a grand oracle.**

***shit pal, really?**

***Nope, I’m just a really lucky person. But really, did you use magic?? :o**

***heh, nah. budgy texts with more proper speech, real royal like.**

***Budgy? You mean Jay? Hehe, yeah, a real royal PAIN. Joke, I love my cinnamon roll.**

Rosaline looks up from the phone just as Jay is heading upstairs; they exchange a small wave, and go back to doing their own things. Rose sits down on the sofa; she’d only be a few minutes on the phone before diving into her room.

***nice, she really _spices_ up a conversation. **

***but anyway, how’s the ‘investigation’ goin?**

***Uuugh, puuns, it burrrns.**

***We’re a little stumped tbh. We’re stuck mostly speculating, since there aren’t many leads to go by, no physical leads other than the mountain.**

***i’d be more than willin to help ya bud, lay it on me.**

***You sure? . . . This stuff is really ‘out there’, like; souls and monster’s kinda stuff. My great grandmother was a real fanatic.**

There’s a pause, Rosaline takes the time to look out the window behind her, and night was always pretty in the wilderness. Did San’s say he lives ‘in town’? He did say he’s been in the woods. . . So maybe he’s a local?

***wow, wasn’t expecting that actually.**

***Yeah, but Jay and I enjoy mystical shit, and it just happens my family has a ‘history’ with it. So we’re here to figure out if my great grandmother’s notes are fact or fantasy.**

***sounds like you two have your hand’s full. guess i’ll have to be a nice guy and help.**

***Really? You’re still on board with it?**

***sure, why not? i have too much time on my hands.**

***That’s fantastic, it’d be great to get together and go over the notes as a trio, and have a fresh mind on this.**

***yeah, might be a while before we can, get together. but if you send photos of any notes, I can read them and get back to you.**

Rosaline doesn’t even need to be told twice, she filters through the different notes. She snaps photos of the comparison notes, as well as some ‘monster history’ notes. For fun, she snaps some of the notes on ‘souls’ just so he could get a kick out of it. Sending the photos, she stands up, mind trailing off.

***Hey Sans, I have a random question.**

***shoot**

***Well, you live in town right? You getting a good view of the stars?**

Smalltalk wasn’t too weird right? Crap, second guessing her social skills, Rose panics, adding a quick add-on message.

***Just that night is always great after a rainy day and I figured that the city lights may block some out. Geeze, you probably don’t even live in the area, assuming make’s an ass of myself, sorry ^-^’’**

***hey, don’t beat yourself up bud, s’no worries.**

***an yeah, you could say i live in the area, with these notes here talkin ‘bout Ebott an all.**

***to answer your first question, nah, we don’t get much star gazing here in town. shame since im always star struck by the constellations.**

Rose has to hold back a groan from the joke, but smiles a bit in appreciation.

***I’m letting that one slide, since It was good, and because I also like the stars.**

***Tell ya what.**

Rosaline gets up and walks outside, stepping off the porch and into the open yard, she takes a few shots of the speckled sky.

***As compensation for your valiant efforts, I’ll slide you the good stuff.**

Rose laughs at herself, and sends the few sky shots. She returns inside, and upstairs. She’s beginning to feel tired, so she might as well turn in for the night.

***im speechless, kid, you really didn’t have to do that.**

***What? Buds can’t do nice things for each other?**

***geeze, jay wasn’t kiddin when she said you’re too selfless. you’re a good soul kid.**

Rosaline groans to herself, getting herself comfortable before slipping into bed; tapping away.

***Just doing good deeds to make up for any bad ones I’ve done. There’s nothing wrong with putting other first.**

***Anyway, Im gonna go to bed, Jay and I have an adventure up the mountain tomorrow.**

***rosaline, the two of you should be careful up there, please**

***Pff, you worry wart. Don’t worry, I’ve been in these woods since I was a little shit, can’t get any more careful than that eh?**

***right, well . . .  good night bud**

***You too Sans.**

Plugging in the flip phone, Rosaline flops down into bed like a sack of flour, and allows her body to relax. Tomorrow she could get all her pent up energy out, tomorrow would be a good day.


	6. When The Bodies Drop

_Cold, scared, far from alone; the three musketeers of a shitty afternoon, she would give anything to not feel any of the three at the moment._

_Jay pulls into a tighter ball, hoping to conceal her form, hoping that the rain thundering down outside will conceal her rigged and scared breaths. She doesn’t dare peek out from her hiding place. Being found would be the worst possible idea in the history of stupid ideas._

_She curses her father in her mind, both her parents in fact; her spineless father was an alcoholic with a violent reputation. He’s never laid a hand on anyone in his family while intoxicated, no, that’s what the bars were for. He made the biggest mistake of his life, getting into a drunken fight with a gaggle of criminals._

_Rather than leave town to find somewhere else to stay; till all the chaos blew over, her family decided it was better to stand their ground. ‘It’s cowardly to run and hide from a group of Cretans, we proud Delafontaine’s have nothing to fear’ is what her father said, he’s such an idiot. That’s why he was the first to get taken out._

_After that, Jay’s mother scurried off to her sister’s home two states over, without a word. Saving her own damn hide. What, with the wealth that she has to obtain when her family goes down, she’d be living cozy off some beach somewhere._

_‘So much for familial bonds.’_

_Jay had been conflicted, on whether to cry or laugh when her mother had been found. She took to crying since her wonderful aunt was taken in the crossfire. She had no close relatives left to run to for safety. She had very few people to confide in. Up until now, the police and her best friend were the only ones who knew of her situation._

_But she refused to get Rosaline dragged into her family’s mess; she was the last person she’d ever want to lose. The innocent girl was too pure for this world; she didn’t want to ruin her._

_So here she is, hiding from a small gang, who know she’s still alive, and are hunting her like a pack of wild hungry dogs. What terrified her more was that she had no idea what they’d do to her, once they found her._

_So she’s left to hiding, in the only place she could feel safe. It was her secret Fortress, one both she and Rosaline forged over the years; it was an old tiny, two room storage house outside of town. They fixed it up, furbished it to the best of their adolescent abilities. It was a place that brought her comfort._

_The comfort wouldn’t last long, since there were several grown men throwing furniture around, tearing the place apart to find her._

_She bit at her knuckles, stifling a sob that threatened to escape. She just hoped that maybe, just maybe, the police would arrive in ti-._

_She was startled out of her thoughts, to the sounds of yelling. Had they found her? Was it all over?_

_The yelling turned into screaming, which turned into gunfire. Jay had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming in fear. Those men were in the middle of a fight, with which Jay didn’t know, she honestly didn’t care, so long as it kept them from her._

_What if the attacker was after her too?_

_Jay closed her eyes tightly, tears flooding out. Her second hand clapped over the first, forcing any sound back down her throat._

_Blood curdling screams, bones breaking, gun fire, bodies dropping to the floor. It went on for what felt like ages, how long was the fight carrying on? How many people were there?_

_Dead silence pulled her from her thoughts, bullet shells no longer dropping, no more bodies dropping, no more yelling. Was it safe? Were they all dead? . . ._

_Jay couldn’t hear any footsteps, only heavy breathing._

_Her body trembled; she had to use the wall as support as she got to her feet. Each step felt like her feet were chained to cinder blocks. Hugging herself didn’t help the trembling. It should be safe to leave, if they were all quiet? The loud gangsters were oddly quiet, so they were dealt with?_

_Jay slowly opened the door to the closet she was in, peeking out with caution. There was a body lying lifeless by the very door, she had to peel her eyes from it to see a few others lying around the main room._

_She kept her hand over her mouth, feeling nauseous from the sight of dead people; the swinging light fixture above didn’t help with the feeling. But it did help her get a look around the room._

_Seven men were dead on the floor; all seven men who had been hunting her down. The only thing alive in the room was Jay, and the bloody silhouette standing in the middle of the room, breathing heavily._

_Jay went stiff, she at least found out the source to the heavy breathing, but it didn’t help that they were bloody, and the source to seven dead, fully grown men._

_Jay trembled, her hands lowering from her mouth so that she could steady her breathing. Eyes fixated on the silhouette; they were visibly breathing heavy, standing firm with their back facing Jay. The silhouette was shaking a little, were the cold? Scared? No, they were angry, enraged even._

_The silhouette roared out in anger, and began kicking at one of the lifeless bodies, their anger laced with a sobbing cry._

_“How dare you! How dare you! I’ll destroy all of you! You monsters! Evil, disgusting creatures!” They screamed as they continued to kick the lifeless body, as if hoping it’d get back up on the defensive, from her. . ._

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Jay sits upright in bed, breathing heavy with cold sweats, her hands gripped her blankets tightly. Taking in her surroundings, it was dark; she was still in the cabin, still on the trip with Rosaline.

Jay rubs at her face, taking in a shaking breath, releasing it slowly. It’s been four years since that attack, she still gets nightmares.

After losing everything, her family’s money helped her get a place for herself. It was enough to support her for a long while. Rosaline had been a huge part to her recovery, she stayed over for as long as she needed; cooked, cleaned, she took care of her as though she were her own child.

Jay couldn’t have asked for anyone better to have been there with her, Rose was the only family she had left, and the only family she needed.

She gets up from her bed, hugging the pillow to her chest. Her sleepy feet quietly padded out of her room, and straight into Rosaline’s.

She knew it was childish. She was twenty for Christ sake, but she would always seek out Rosaline’s comfort after a nightmare. It was safe, familiar. Even if it bothered Rose, she never voiced it.

When she slipped in next to Rosaline, the ginger immediately opened her eyes, and cuddled up close. She was a light sleeper, Jay wondered sometimes, how long had she been a light sleeper? Was it for Jay’s sake? Or has she always been that way?

As selfish as she felt, she was glad for Rosaline’s comfort. Settling down next to the other, Jay was able to get back to sleep with much more ease, feeling safe in the protection of Rose’s presence.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Breakfast was nothing short of fantastic, the girl’s took the time to cover over what clues they should look for when going up the mountain; any possible relics they may find, any cave entrances that may lead to the ‘underground’. It would be a day trip, so the two of them would need to pack a bag of necessities.

Jay left San’s a quick message stating their plans, and peeked to see if he may have left a message on their notes.  No such luck on the comedian leaving his thoughts on the matter; it was hardly discouraging however, since they knew the guy was busy. No harm in checking in later.

Rosaline set to packing a bag for their trip; hearty lunches, water, flashlight, Dino phone and a tiny first-aid kit. Just as Rosaline was finishing her task, a bundle of cloths was launched into her face, blinding her. Pealing it from her face, she sent a glare towards Jay. The shorter girl was dressed in cloths inspired by 20th century explorers; black knee high boots, blue slacks and a white blouse with its sleeves rolled up above the elbow, and three buttons undone at the top. Over the blouse was a black double buttoned vest. The girl even took the time to put her hair back into a flowery bun.

Jay placed her hands to her hips, grinning wide. “You’d best put it on Rosy-Q. I didn’t get your measurements for nothing!” Rosaline grumbled to herself, she’d much prefer simple shorts and shirt.  Regardless to her disdain for dressing up, she will humor her friend’s antics.

Her entire was similarly styled to Jay’s, black knee high boots, lavender clacks, and a frilly white blouse. However, her entire lacked a vest. Instead, it was replaced with a ruffled waistcoat in a shade of deep violet.

She hated to admit that the cloths were very nice, comfortable even. Not one movement felt restrained or tight, allowing fluid maneuverability. As she checked herself out in a mirror, Jay was styling the longer sections of her fiery hair into a braided hair crown.

She really wants to grumble in annoyance, but feels cute. The internal dilemma is painful, so Rose settles with silently glaring at herself, daring her reflection to make the first move.

Jay happily drums on Rose’s back, letting out a bout of excited squealing.

“You look so fancy! You should really dress up more!” Jay exclaims, posing next to her friend. The ginger takes to slightly slouching, letting out a groan.

“Dressing up takes too much patience, and a good amount of fucks. I own neither of those things.”

“Don’t sass me woman! You look good so feel good!” Jay smacks the other’s shoulder, and begins leading the way out of the cabin, snagging the bag on her way out.

Before Rose leaves, she slides her personal phone into her pocket, and locks up the cabin, hiding the key behind the doorknocker.

Jay bounces lightly with anticipation, bag slung over one shoulder. “Shall we my dear?”

Nodding her head lightly, Rosaline gives mock salute, taking the lead off the porch and into the direction of the mountain.

There is no set path in the direction they’re headed, there is only dense forest, lush foliage, just wilderness.  The woods have grown thicker within the years, but Rosaline knows every rock and landmark.

Jay hops onto a log, and holds out a hand to help Rose up. “So lieutenant, what do you expect we shall find out in these here woods?” She says with her best Boston accent, her face dead serious.

Rosaline gives a lazy shrug, and looks around from their vantage point; her eyes look distant in thought. They’re an hour into the woods; the terrain has already been inclining.

“Other than some bushes, tress and squirrels, maybe some bugs and birds too; nature stuff.” She says with little interest, her eyes stare off at nothing in particular.

The blue-clad girl gives the other a more serious look, not looking for the other’s sarcastic remark. “Really Rose, You’ve been through these woods before, sure. But it’s the first for the both of us going up this mountain.”

The ginger smirks a little, giving the shorter girl a side-stare. She simply shrugs again. “Maybe some ghosts? The boogie man hasn’t been returning my calls, it’s about time I paid his face a visit; with my fist.”

Jay smacks rose in the arm, causing the ginger to fall off the log. Landing on her feet just fine, the girl wears a shit-eating grin as she laughs out. Jay’s face is pink, scrunched up with displeasure.

“Common dammit! Be serious! Stop joking around Rose! I’m gonna pay for face a visit with my fist!”

Rosaline helps Jay down from the log, and snorts softly. “I’m sorry; I honestly can’t say what we’ll find up here. A good part of the mountain is private property, no one but my family has hunted around here, and even then no one went up the mountain.” Rose sticks her hands into her pockets, her eyes becoming distant again. “This place is teaming with animals though.”

Jay looks up to her friend, furrowing her eyebrows. “Hey, you tired? Maybe we should sit for a while.”

Rose snaps her gaze to the shorter one, shaking her head for a moment, like shaking away a thought. “Uh, I’m actually not that tired. But I’d be down to chilling for a little.” She says with a soft smile.

The two girls settle down on flat rocks, taking in the warm summer air and the sounds of the forest. Jay fishes around the back for the flip phone, and gasps.

“Sandwiches! I’m such a lucky husband!” Jay exclaims, and retrieves the phone, and a bottle of water.

“Buh-s’cuse me bitch?” Rose says aghast, her expression blank otherwise. She holds up her left hand, “do you see a ring on me?”

Jay just stares at Rosaline blankly, pulling off the plastic sealing band from her water bottle; she slowly slides down onto Rosaline’s ring finger. “Yes. . .”

Rose has trouble staying poker-faced, her pale skin flaring up pink. It hurts to hold back; her shoulders stark shaking and her breaths uneven.

“I swear to Jimmy.” The ginger is breathless now, speaking was a mistake. She’s in tears, her body wracking with laughter. “You little shit, I love you.”

Jay is in no better condition. The two girls are crumbled onto the rock, dying from laughter. It takes the two of them a solid five minutes to get their act together. Tears streaming down their faces; this is two grown-ass women at their finest.

Catching her breath, Rose wipes her face with her sleeves, and clears her throat. “Uh, no. Better luck next time.” She states, placing the plastic ring into the bag.

To hell with littering, Mother Nature is a fine-ass B.

Jay doesn’t bother sitting up from her crumpled position, and flips the phone open. “You’ll come around eventually.” She says smugly. Narrowing her eyes, she sifts through the contact list. No response from Sans yet, maybe there’ll be something later.

Rosaline scoffs, and places her hand to her chest. “I’m so offended, you’re gonna have to work for this sweetie.” She chuckles a bit, and lays herself down too. The company and silence is comforting.

There’s a soft growl, Jay follows up by laughing softly. The raven haired girl shifts on her back, closing the phone. “Wow, can’t say I’m surprised.” She states.

Rosaline looks over to the girl, quirking a brow. “’Wow’ what?”

Jay snorts, and sits up, stretching. There is another growl, but it’s much louder this time. Rosaline sits up as well, and stiffens. “Really, it hasn’t even been that long since breakfast, you really do _‘burn’_ off a lot of energy huh?”

Rosaline blinks, and pats her stomach with a frown. “Uh, ruuude. And what are you even talking about.” Rosaline says stiffly.

Jay rolls her eyes, with another growl, she gestures her hand towards the ginger. “That, you’re already hungry again. You don’t need to make it that difficult.”

Rosaline’s eyes widen, and she stands up abruptly. Jay watches with curious eyes, wondering what the ginger is up to now.

“That wasn’t me. Get up, let’s go.”

Jay furrow’s her brow’s, and yelps as Rosaline pulls her to her feet, along with the bag. Yoinking the flip phone and water from the other, Rosaline yeets it into the bag and slings it onto her back.

“Rosaline, what’s got your panties in a wa-“ There is an aggressive growl that interrupts her, it’s very close this time. Jay’s face visibly pales, now understanding what’s occurring; her body going stiff with fear.

Rosaline doesn’t waste a second, catching a glimpse of an approaching brown bear. Her heart kicks into high gear, adrenaline burning hot through her body in that moment.  She slings her grounded friend over her shoulder, and beats up the mountain.

Jay yelps from the sudden rush, clinging to her friend for dear life as she gets a front row seat to the perusing bear. She screams out in shock.

“ROSE! It’s a bear! BEAR!” Jay tries to keep from wiggling and shaking, though her friend’s firm grip help with that fact. The bear is hot on their heels as they ascend the mountain quickly; Rosaline is somehow just managing to outrun it. Jay is at a loss for words.

“Rosaline please don’t drop me! Where are we going?! Rose!” Jay cries out to her silent friend. Rosaline’s eyes are fixated ahead, with her jaw clenched. The only sound coming from her is her heavy breathing; her eyes glazed over.

The ground shifts from under the girls; up suddenly becoming down. Jay lets out a scream as they begin to fall down.

Rosaline had tripped over some roots just as she looked over her shoulder. Not noticing that there was a sheer drop at the top of the small incline they were running up. All they can do is start screaming; while descending into the dark pit below.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The girls groan as they become aware of their surroundings. Jay sitting up from laying on top of Rosaline.  Both girls hiss out from sudden movements.

They are in a large cave, lying on a bed of golden flowers. The only light is from high above, the hole they fell into. It’s a wonder how they didn’t die from such a fall.

“Shit, I don’t know what was scarier, being chased by a bear or falling into a pit.” Jay groans, rubbing her head as she sits. Rosaline hisses in pain as she sits up.

“I’d say both are ‘piss your pants’ worthy.” The ginger says, and goes to inspect the other.

Jay brushes the other off, and smiles softly. “I’m fine Rose; I’d be more worried about you.” Jay stands up, and winces a bit. “Damn, Rosa _lean_. Running from a bear and taking a fall down here, you is a beast.” She says, offering her friend a hand.

Rosaline takes the offered hand, restraining herself from groaning at her friend’s joke. Attempting to stand, Rose winces in pain. Her arm reflexively grips to her ribs, and keeps her left foot from receiving pressure.

The damage is apparent on the ginger; Jay frowns worriedly, allowing her to be used as support.

“You don’t look so good Rose, here sit down. I saw you packed a small first aid kit in the bag. Take it off and let me fix you up a little.”

Rosaline shakes her head, and offers a weak smile. “I’m fine, I just twisted my ankle a little, I can walk it off.” She says simply.

Jay give her a skeptical look, “and that arm you’re hugging yourself with?”

Rose shakes her head. “My arm is fine, I’m just a little bruised and banged up. Really.”

There is nothing Jay can say to make Rosaline change her mind, so she sighs exasperatedly.

“Alright you mule, give me the bag, I’ll carry it. You can still use me as support to walk though.” Jay states, and begins yanking the bag off her friend.

Rosaline smiles appreciatively, and allows the bag to be slipped off; placing her hand onto Jay’s shoulder once she’s put on the bag. Looking around the cave, it appears to go onward; a strangely carved doorway lies off in the dark distance. Rose points it out.

“Let’s go that way, maybe we can find a way out over there.” She says simply, and begins walking with a limp.

Jay catches up, staying at Rosaline’s side as they push on. “Don’t push yourself Rose, we can rest if you’re in pain. . .” Rose only shakes her head. “I’m okay.”

They leave the portion of the cave, and enter a smaller room within the cave. There is another door across the room; a patch of grass separates the doors, and it is illuminated by an opening from above. A small golden flower sits by itself in the room, its petals peering up at the light above.

Slowly and carefully, approach the patch of grass. Jay looks to the flower with curiosity, before letting out a snort.

“Hey Rose, look, I found your spirit animal; cave flower~” Jay smirks up at her friend, who opens her mouth to banter back when the flower in question moves.

It twitches at the sound of a voice within the room, and turns around to peer up at the two intruders. It seems to have eyes that look up with shock, then suspicion. Suspicion melts away into worry. The flower opens its tiny mouth, which appears to have tiny fangs, its voice sounds high pitched and boyish.

“Geeze, two new idiots to add to the collection.” The flower says with now real bite behind its words.

The girls blink, then look to each other; mouths agape, and eyes wide with surprise. Jay points to the flower, keeping her eyes locked with Rosaline’s. After a lapse of silence, Jay is able to find her voice.

“. . .  Uuuuuuuuh.” She says, spoken like a true intellectual.


	7. You're A Wizard!

Jay’s train of thought is immediately derailed; the tracks have been blown to shit by this point. She lets her arm drop, and looks to Rosaline, who’s standing stiffly next to Jay. The ginger takes in a breath, before letting it out.

“Either this cave is filled with hallucinogenic mushroom spores, or we’ve fallen into ‘the underground’” Rosaline states slowly, and looks around from their position. “And I didn’t spot any fun-guys anywhere, so drugs are out of the question at this point.” She says with a shrug, and looks to Jay.

The shorter girl’s eyes widen, but Rosaline begins to speak again, “though, of course we could have also smacked our heads really hard, but seeing the same abnormality would be a bit of a stretch.”

Jay’s eyes can only get wider. All the while, the tiny flower is looking between the two girls skeptically,

“You two really shouldn’t be down here, from the sound of it, you have some idea where you are.” The flower begins its voice low. “So either you both don’t understand the severity of your situation, or you really are a pair of idiots.”

The girl’s halt their conversations, listening to the sentient flower speak, Rose’s breath hitches after it finishes.

“Christ. . . We really are in the underground then. . . And by this little guy alone, that means it’s all true . . .” Rose says slowly, and grips Jay’s hand. “This is both amazing and horrifying Jay. . .”

Jay swallows slowly, and nods her head, “y-yeah. . . Magic exists, but we’re trapped down here. . .”

The flower lets out a sigh; he doesn’t know if he is glad they understand or if he pity’s their situation. He clears his throat to get their attention once more.

“Look. . . Uh . . . You both look rough, it isn’t safe to be walking around down here with such low HP.” He says this; the girls get a strange sensation crawling up their backs, and shiver a little.

“Dude, did we just gat strange heebe-geebies by a talking flower?” Jay says softly, and grip’s Rose’s hand. The flower rolls his eyes.

“Obviously, I ‘checked’ your souls for your stats. . .” The flower states, and narrows his eyes at Rosaline. “The brute here especially, refusing treatment on broken ribs and a sprained ankle isn’t safe for you humans. . .”

Jay frown’s as she looks between the flower creature and Rose, “What do you mean? You could tell what her wounds were from her ‘HP’? So that stuff really is important for monsters!” Jay is excited, but now worried for her friend’s condition.

The flower shakes his head, “Reading stat’s doesn’t really work that way, I can tell exactly how much EXP and LoVe she has, and how far her HP has lowered. But it’s her ‘Status’ that told me she has broken ribs and a damaged ankle. In short, it’s her thoughts and emotions put together.”

Putting two and two together, Jay really want’s to smack Rosaline for lying to her; lying about her injuries to keep going. But their supplies wouldn’t do much to help, so she can see where Rose is coming from. Jay settles with letting out a disappointed sigh.

“Come on Rose. . . Take better care of yourself. We’re a team, let me worry about you too.” Jay give’s Rose’s hand a squeeze, and looks to the tiny Flower.

“Hey. . . Flower creature. . . Dude guy? Since magic is a thing, do you know how we can get my friend fixed up? Magically maybe?” Jay asks, choosing her words carefully, since all this is new to her.

The flower sighs at the human’s choice of names, and looks up with a strained smile. “Call my Flowey. I know two options to get your friend fixed, Either there is still food in the Ruins, or. . . Ugh.”

Jay nods her head softly, Rosaline smiles a little towards Flowey, slowly crouching down to get to his level. The flower leans away from the ginger, cautious of her closeness. Jay acts as a support while the other holds out her hand for the flower.

“Nice to meet you Flowey, I am Rosaline, and my companion is Jay. I. . .Would deeply appreciate your help.” She says with a strained smile, she hates to ask for help, and from a stranger at that.

“So, there is something that can heal Rose in the Ruins? Wait. . . From the stories. . . These Ruins are no longer being taken care of?” Jay asks, recalling a monster who was the guardian here, who fell at the hands of Rose’s grandmother. “Wouldn’t food go bad?”

Flowey narrows his eyes, and tilts his head “Yes . . .These Ruins are now barren, and No. Food doesn’t go bad down here, it’s magical.” He says simply, he looks to Rose’s still outstretched hand, and slowly places a vine into it for her to shake. “I can guide you through here and to the second option if needed. . . Ugh.”

Rosaline smiles after shaking hands-er. . . Vine with the flower monster, and uses Jay’s help to stand up. “Thank you Flowey, can I ask what this second option is?” Rose asks.

Flowey lets out another groan, and slumps forward a little. “Some smiley trash bag who knows healing magic, he honestly wouldn’t be my first option. But the underground has become dangerous recently.”

Jay is imagining a sentient trash bag with a huge smile, and snorts softly, “I’d like to meet this ‘trash bag’. And, how dangerous had the underground become, is it collapsing?”

Flowey lets out a groan, and shakes his head. “I’ll tell you along the way, let’s just get going for now. Just go straight ahead.” Flowey disappears into the ground, and reappears up ahead by the door.

Huh, monsters are neat.

The walking is slow and tedious, allowing Flowey to explain what the situation is like; passing by a torn training dummy and through a room with marked levers.

Easy Peasy.

“There is another human down here, they’ve been attacking monsters recently. Monsters are dying by their hands. I managed to lock the Ruin’s behind them when they left, so we should be safe here.” Flowey informs, they’ve come to a spike puzzle, and he lets out a sigh.

Rose and Jay look to the puzzle, then flowey with skepticism.

“Flower boy, spikes? Honest-to-god, stabby spikes?” Jay asks, as she points to them. Flower nods his head, smirking a bit.

“Monsters are very fold of puzzles, spikes just happen to be an old favorite.” He says with a laugh, Rosaline steps away from the two while they begin to banter on the safety of others, and how ‘keeping people out was the point’.

Rosaline looks to the spikey corridor, humming throughfully.

“Besides, the puzzle isn’t even that hard, the path actually gives i- R-Rose what are you doing?!” Flowey screams, watching as Rosaline limps into the spikey corridor with zero fucks.

Jay lets out a soft sigh, and walks over, grabbing Rose’s  shoulder to keep her from progressing. “Yeah Rose, you have to be careful, you’re low on HP remember?” She scolds, and turns her friend around. Rose’s eyes appear to be glazed over, looking to something distant.

“It’s no problem Jay, we just have to snake through them like the boxes, right?” Rosaline says softly, mostly to herself. Jay’s face lights up with realization, and she begins to giggle excitedly.

“Alright my friend! Lead the way~!” Jay says, placing her hands on Rosaline’s shoulders to steady her. Flowey looks to the two girls with worry, and a hit of skepticism.

“What are you doing? She’s going to get hurt you know!” He yells, Jay only shoots him a grin, sticking out her tongue.

“Oh yeah? Just watch! Rosy here’s going to work her oracle magic~!” Jay says, letting Rose pull them through the corridor. Each step Rose takes is smooth and calculated, even with a slight limp. Jay keep her friend steady as they snake along the path, the spikes lowering just before they step across.

Flowey emerges from the other side of the corridor, and stares with wide eyes, anticipating someone taking damage, but also disbelieving the progress. He’s reading the expression on both the girl’s faces; one grinning and the other blank. He frowns, the two of them couldn’t possibly have been down here before, he’d remember. So how? He does a ‘check’ on their status.

**Jay Delafontaine**

**Status: She’s worried for her friend’s well-being, and is still angry that they’re being stubborn. But getting mad won’t help their situation; she can help in different ways.**

**Rosaline Stewart**

**Status: The feeling is familiarity is the same as back at the cabin, but it somehow feels stronger, more amplified. Seeing the path ahead is a bit foggy, but she’s slowly getting a hang of it. Baby steps.**

Flowey scrunches his face up at such a cryptic status, it doesn’t help that the girl’s stats are…

“We did it! Rosaline you beautiful woman! There is no other that could better you at being a magical ‘metal detector’  haha!”

Rosaline lightly noogies Jay, using the headlock she has her in as support, “Stop calling me a tool you brat.” Her voice is soft and kind, no longer glassy and distant. This worries Flowey.

“How did. . . You really are some kind of special idiot huh?” He asks, plastering a fake smirk onto his face; looks like trash bag is going to be needed after all.

Jay scrunches up her face to the flower, sticking her tongue out. “She’s smart and beautiful, you’re just jealous she’s so cool and beefy.”

Rosaline groans, letting her friend go. “Jay stap, it’s understandable. My ‘thing’ is weird, but I wouldn’t dub myself as ‘some kind of special idiot’. .  .” She says, narrowing her eyes down at Flowey. The flower leans back a little, and shakes his head.

“I didn’t… Mean bad by it. . .  Look, what you just used there was some kind of Soul ability. . . It’s a bit like magic. Smiley Trash bag can explain it better.”

Jay vibrates excitedly, and grips Rose’s hand, her eyes stare up with wonder. “ROSEEEEEE, you’re using MAGICCC! You’re a wizard!”

Rosaline puffs out her cheeks, and looks away. It all makes a bit more sense; the notebook on souls did mention that souls like Determination have special abilities, but lack the use of magic like other souls. Rosaline looks back to Jay with a smile.

“I’m a wot?”

“You’re a wizard!”

“I’m not a wizard, Im just Rose.”

“No just Rose, you are a wizard!”

Flowey looks between the two girls, feeling as though he’s missing something here.

“No?. . . She’d me more of a mage if anything. . . Though we couldn’t say for sure without seeing her soul.” The flower says, interrupting the girl’s banter.

Jay’s head shoots to flowey with wide eyes, and grins wide. “Wait, we can see our soul’s right?! Monsters can do a thing right?”

Flowey leans back from the sudden burst of excitement, and slowly nods his head. “Yeah, we’d get into an encounter, and souls are drawn out from the participants.” Flowey stands straighter, face softening a bit as the explanation continues, “only two monsters, or a monster and human, can participate in an encounter at a time. It’s like a handshake, or in other cases, a fight.”

Jay happily jumps up and down, laughing to her. “Can I get into an encounter? Can you show me my soul?”

Flowey’s face reddens a bit, and lets out a groan. Taking a moment he lets himself calm down. “Just. . . Some encounters can differ other than by greeting or fight, so just be careful okay? . . . When encountering others I mean. . .” He grumbles, and starts an encounter with Jay.

The surrounding area fades to black monochromatic, her chest glows for a moment, before a cartoony shaped heart appears from her chest. It beats lightly as it floats in place.

It’s a brilliant shade of royal blue.

Jay can only stare in awe, breath taken by the sight of seeing her very soul. Her eyes studying it softly, her whole body feels warm with familiarity, like hugging an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time. She gently cups her hands around it, feeling content.

“You were right Rosie-Q. . .Blue, just like my attire.”  Jay says softly, more to herself, the surrounding area has darkened out of focus, and only her and Flowey are illuminated. Rosaline is only vaguely visible at her side. The ginger nods lightly, humming softly in agreement.

Flowey looks between the two girls quizzically, before shaking his head.

‘These two are just plain stranger’ he thinks to himself.

“Right, well, here is your soul. Its shade means Integrity. You put honesty and good morals before anything else.” Flowey says with a nod, it seemed to fit right. Jay looks to Flowey, and tilts her head, looking around a little.

“So, where’s your soul?” She ask softly, “Monsters have them right?” Flowey shrinks a bit, his face pained at the girl’s words.

“No. . . Not me, I don’t have a soul. That’s just how it is. .“ He says bitterly, and leaves the encounter. Color returns to the world around them, though Jay feels as though the colors feel less dull. She grins wide to Rosaline, who is looking to Flowey with worry.

“Really, it’s no problem, I’ve lived a long time without a soul, and it won’t kill me.” Flowey drawls, with an implied shrug. Rosaline simply sighs, and looks to Jay who takes her hand excitedly.

“Now do Rosaline! Let’s see what her soul looks like!” Jay exclaims.

Flowey shrinks back at the sudden burst of excitement from the raven haired girl, and looks up to the ginger with narrow eyes.

“That isn’t a good idea…” He says slowly.

Jay looks down to him with a quirked brow, “Why’s that? What’s the issue?”

“Well. . .  In a friendly encounter, there is still a chance for someone to get hurt. We don’t want Rosaline here getting any more damage do we?” He states, it’s only the half-truth. But what they don’t know won’t hurt him.

Jay nods her head slowly, giving Rose’s hand a gentle squeeze “Right, that makes sense, the soul’s exposed.”

Flowey sighs, glad that the subject is dropped. “Good, now let’s get going, we still have a way’s to go before we reach the end of the Ruins.”

The three continue through the Ruins, careful to clear any puzzles that come their way. Flowey makes sure of it. He doesn’t really know why he’s even helping the two humans, but he has a strange sense of hope. For the first time, something different has happened. A change of pace brings a little hope.

Jay looks over to Rosaline, who’s been strangely silent since the spike puzzle. Flowey says they are almost to their destination; it’s already been close to half an hour. She gently pats Rose’s shoulder, still letting herself be used as support.

“Flower child, are you alright? You’ve been strangely quiet, and it brings me worry.” She says, using proper speech out of force of habit.

Rosaline’s breath hitches, taking a wrong step as Jay called to her. Her grip around Jay’s shoulder’s tightening.

“I’m alright; I’m just taking in this whole situation. . . We’re trapped under the mountain, there’s a human- another person down here who’s been hurting others.” Rosaline slows her pace; they are approaching a courtyard with a tree. And what appears to be an entrance to their destination.

“I am in no condition to defend you and me if this person comes after us.” Rosaline says softly, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Jay frown’s up at Rose, slowly passing the tree and stopping at some stairs. Flowey is just above them; somehow managing to emerge from stone ground. “We’re here, get inside. The candy bowl back there had been picked clean by the other human, but I have high hopes for this outpost.” He then disappears into the ground, presumably going inside to wait for them.

With the privacy, Jay lets out a heavy sigh.

“Rose, I can take care of myself. We need to worry about you right now. And Flower boy said that we’re safe inside here, he locked the only entrance to the Ruins.” Jay says sternly.

Rosaline shakes her head, looking down at the other with hard honey eyes. “No Jay, that’s not what I meant. What if there isn’t anything here to help? If we go looking for the sentient waste bin and are confronted by the dangerous person, I will be of no use, and I’ll slow you down.” Worry is laced in the gingers voice.

Jay let out a soft sigh, and hugs Rosaline close. “Stop worrying so much Rosaline, you don’t need to carry the world on your shoulders. It’s my turn to take care of you, so suck it up.” Jay tries to say with some humor, “Do you question the strength of your lord? I could easily be our sword and shield.”

Rosaline is silent, resting her head on top of the others. Slowly she nods her head, her voice steady and soft. “Of course, there is no other who could be better with a sword and shield. Spoken like a valiant knight.” She gently pat’s Jay’s pack, glad that the hug isn’t too tight.

Grinning like an idiot, Jay pulls from the hug and stands straight. “Good, I’m glad you see things more clearly. Let’s get you patched up; I’d hate to have to carry you around, your heavy.” Jay laughs loudly when she receives a firm smack to the head by Rose, who also can’t help but laugh.

“You moron. . .  Thank you.” Rosaline says warmly, and takes extra care to climb the stairs carefully.

Behind the door, appears to be some kind of home. It’s warm and inviting, if not very dusty; a sign that it has not been cleaned in a long while.

Flowey calls to the girls distantly, to the left of the entrance. Following his voice, they pass through a lounge and into a kitchen. Flowey has set himself into the counter, next to an empty pie tin. He grumbles softly, and pushes it into the sink. “I thought there would be something here; there are only ingredients left in here.”

Rosaline is sat at a small table, while Jay sets the bag down, sighing out as she no longer has to strain her back. Looking around, Jay nods to her a bit. “What kind of ingredients?”

Flowey uses a vine to open a cupboard, and looks around. “Dry stuff, unless you like eating flour, nothing good. . .”

Jay takes it upon herself to search the fridge, the things inside look rather strange, but she can sort of recognize them as eggs, butter, milk and vanilla. “This Ruin keeper sure liked to bake huh, pies?”

Flowey nods silently, while Jay takes out the three ingredients and places them down, she does her best to reach for the flour , but alas, she is a smol human. Pitying the fleshy meat bag, Flowey retrieves the bag for her, and sets it down. He looks at the ingredients, and quirks up a brow? Well he has a face, so might as well have brows.

“You’re . . . going to bake with monster ingredients?” He asks skeptically, he hasn’t seen any humans make monster food before; it usually requires some use of magic to prepare.

Jay snorts softly, and reaches into a lower cabinet to gather mixing bowls and spoons. She begins by combining dry and liquid ingredients in separate bowls, then pouring the liquid in with the dry, mixing well to create a batter. “Dear me, of course not! I couldn’t possibly steal such an honorable tittle away from my sweet Rosaline!” Jay points the wooden spoon at Flowey, small specks of blue bubble and then disappears at the tip of it. Leaning away, his eyes switch between the spoon and Jay.

“I am however making pancakes! If its monster foods that can heal someone, there’s no use in wasting the lovely lunch my love made for us!” Jay’s shit eating grin is enough to show Flowey that she’s just gooding around, which causes him to groan loudly.

“You really are a special kind of stupid.” He says, shaking his head. Another groan is heard from the table, leaning to the side Flowey spots Rosaline rubbing at her pink face.

“Jay you’re such a dingus… Staaap.” The ginger groans, and fishes around the bag to find the flip phone she hastily had thrown in earlier. She inspects its damage; a-okay! She lets out a soft sigh, flipping it opek and looking for any left texts from ‘FartMaster’; nada, just peachy.

Flowey narrows his eyes at the phone, then the ginger, back to the phone. “Hey, Rose. Where’d you get that phone? Was it in the cave where you two fell in?” He asks suspiciously, peering from his vantage point on the counter, Jay beginning to cry the batter beside him.

Rosaline’s eyes look up to the flower form the phone, chewing on her lower lip from mid thought. She lightly shakes her head, and begins typing a message to ‘Fartmaster’.

***Hey Sans, listen. Jay and I are in a bit of a sticky situation. She and I fell unto an underground cave system while running from Rabid Pooh.  
*I’d like to say that we’ll be out just fine, but uh, all I can say is it might be a long time till we get out.**

***Message me when you get this, that is, if this phone can still get connection down here.**

Rosaline puffs up her cheeks, closing the phone. “It was inside my cabin, up on the surface.” She sets the phone down, drumming her fingers gently. She winces with each movement she makes, the fall sure did a hell of a lot of damage.

Flowey hums out softly, then looks to watch Jay. “That phone there is from the underground, it’s the combination of magic and technology.” He states simply, curious as he sees both girl tense up at his words. “It’s not a surprise that it’s lasted for so long, Dr. Alphys sure outdoes herself.”

Jay looks to the flower with wide eyes, then over to Rosaline. The gears in her head beginning to turn. “No way… Rose, that’s your Granny’s phone! Those contacts belong to monsters!” She exclaims; hands clenched into fists. Everything was starting to make sense to her!

Rose swallows slowly, and looks down at the phone. Sans was the first monster they ever came into contact with. And he’s somewhere down here with them.

“Oh dang. . .” Rosaline whispers. “Now this really is a lot to take in. . “


End file.
